Retro photography from the early 1990s
Many airlines operating flights from Chisinau recorded video congratulations on the anniversary date. On its website, the airport posted old photos depicting the history of the enterprise. Sergiu Spoială, Acting Administrator of Chisinau International Airport, thanked for the cooperation, trust and constant support: “Every stage of this journey has been possible thanks to the strong relationships built over time, in which we have developed together, with difficulties, successes and great teamwork”.
“Chisinau International Airport received its status as a state enterprise on May 31, 1995. At that time, Moldovan aviation was in its infancy, fuel was in short supply. There was even a period when for some time the airport was idle due to lack of flights.
In January 1992, an order was issued “On renaming the Moldavian Civil Aviation Administration”, which actually meant separation from Aeroflot. At that time it was a single structure, which was soon divided into several separate enterprises. In 1993, the national state airline Air Moldova was created, in 1994 – the state air traffic service company MoldATSA, in 1995 – the state airport company.
In the mid-1990s, there were already about 30 different Moldovan companies at the Chisinau airport, some of which were so small that they had only an office of a couple of rooms and no airplanes of their own. But they managed to rent one or two airplanes.
The largest carriers at that time were Air Moldova, Air Moldova International, Moldavian Airlines, and Renan Air. We can evaluate them in different ways, but the fact is that all of them stopped their activity for different reasons. Today they are gone. New airlines, most of which are foreign, have taken their place.
In the summer schedule of 2025, Chisinau International Airport, together with Moldovan and foreign partner airlines, offers 58 flight destinations to 25 countries, 425 flights per week.
At the end of 2024, the airport will serve 4.142 million passengers (1.3 million more compared to 2023). It is impossible not to notice such a significant increase in passenger traffic.
At the beginning of 2025, the growth intensified. And it has been noticed. According to a report by ACI Europe (Airports Council International, Brussels), the number of passengers in the first quarter of 2025 in Chisinau was 56% higher compared to the same period in 2024. This performance is recognized as outstanding and puts Chisinau Airport in first place in the category of medium-sized airports in Eastern Europe with the most dynamic growth in passenger traffic.
From a financial perspective, the performance of Chisinau Airport is as follows.
The significant profits generated by Chisinau Airport in recent years have made it possible to update and reiterate the plans of ten years ago to launch passenger flights from the Marculeşti Airport. The Public Property Agency (APP), which manages the Chisinau and Marculesti airports, announced in January 2025 a project to merge the two state-owned enterprises.
Investments in the Marculeşti airport should amount to at least 4.1 million euros. It is planned to equip the terminal for passenger services, renovate the runway and replenish the air traffic control equipment necessary for flight operations.
In May 2025, Minister of Infrastructure and Regional Development Vladimir Bolea said that the project on the merger of the two airports had already passed all the necessary approvals and was submitted to the parliament for consideration. After the MPs’ vote, the reconstruction of the facilities in Marculesti will begin. The whole process will take one or two years.
