SkyUp has increased passenger traffic by 62% to 2.5 million people in 2024. It plans to increase its fleet to 15 airplanes
Chisinau International Airport reports that 60 flight destinations to 25 countries are offered for the 2025 summer season.
A year ago, Chisinau Airport offered flights to 48 routes in the 2024 summer schedule. And for the winter season 2023-2024, which started in October, 32 flight destinations were announced.
The increase in the number of routes and flights became possible due to the arrival of new operators to Chisinau Airport. According to the Chisinau Airport Administration, 31 airlines operated on the Moldovan market in 2024. Of these, 9 new ones appeared during the year. Of the announced 60 routes, 14 have been added recently. The number of aircraft takeoffs and landings increased by 8.3% compared to the previous year.
The intensification of flights through Chisinau is also evidenced by the growth of passenger traffic. If in 2022 the total number of air passengers amounted to 2.308 million people (for departures and arrivals), in 2023 the airport of the capital of Moldova reached 2.838 million passengers, and in 2024 it will serve 4.142 million people.
Such dynamics in the activity of the Chisinau airport did not go unnoticed. It got into TOP-10 of the most successful air havens in Europe (in the Medium category, for airports from 1 to 10 million passengers). The profit for 2024 is also impressive – it amounted to about 342 million lei (approximately 17.7 million euros). For 2023, the airport’s profit was at the level of 211.196 million lei.
Chisinau airport has become “its” aviation hub for Ukrainian citizens. Shuttle and bus drivers joke that “it is already their own city airport for Odessa residents”.
However, two or three years ago the priority was Iasi airport. What has changed?
It is only 180 kilometers to Odessa. A bus from Odessa leaves every hour. Now there is a special aerotransfer – a project launched last year by the Odessa regional administration. With airplane tickets, city residents pass the border under an accelerated procedure. The full travel time is four hours.
Every 30 minutes buses coming from Ukraine stop near the Chisinau airport. Large cities have organized their own transportation of citizens to the capital of Moldova. For example, a bus from Vinnitsa passes through Uman without entering Odessa.
Passengers from Ukraine followed their airlines to the airport of Chisinau. Several Ukrainian carriers operate here in partnership with Moldovan carriers. Here is just one example.
On March 17, representatives of SkyUp (Malta) paid a working visit to Chisinau International Airport. This is a private airline registered in Kiev in 2017, and in 2023 a subsidiary in Malta was established. Back at the end of last year, SkyUp announced its intention to establish its operating base in Chisinau, with two airliners. Which it did. According to Sergiu Spoiale, the interim administrator of Chisinau airport, the visit focused on operational and commercial aspects. From April 18, 2025, SkyUp will start flying from Chisinau on 8 routes.
