As noted by Sergiu Spoiale, the airport’s acting director, as of March 1, 2025, his team has taken over the management of restaurants and cafes on its premises, which will ensure greater profitability of the premises and increased revenues across the board.
“Why were we not satisfied with Aerofood’s offer of €1 million for an annual lease? There is simple arithmetic: these spaces generate enormous sales volumes. In 2023, Aerofood declared revenue of 180 million lei and profit of 38 million lei. At the same time, passenger traffic was much less than it is now. This means that we were offered pennies. We can get many times more if we abandon the rental practice and take over the management”.
Roman Cojuhar, director of the Public Property Agency, said that the current team is coping with the management: in 2024, the airport earned 345.2 million lei in profit – an increase of 63.5%. The total financial revenues also increased, amounting to 977 million lei, compared to 904.3 million lei in 2023.
Last year, the airport set a record by serving 4.14 million passengers, and plans to reach 5 million passengers in 2025. The growth of passenger traffic was due to the expansion of the route network and the increase in the number of airlines to 33. At the same time, contrary to popular belief, Ukrainian citizens did not become the determining factor in traffic: they accounted for only 19% of passengers.
“If we managed to earn 350 million lei, we will be able to cope with the airport catering,” Sergiu Spoiale believes. – We are often asked if we are ready for such a specific activity. I would like to point out that there is nothing super complicated about it, including working with contractors and organizing tenders for the supply of raw materials. We guarantee that the transition process will take place very quickly to reduce the discomfort of passengers. The pricing policy in cafes and bistros will also be reviewed”.
The airport management briefly touched upon the work of the business-lounge zone, noting that they are currently negotiating renegotiation of contracts with representatives of Visa and Mastercard.
As Logos Press was informed by a number of commercial banks, until the Chisinau airport has finalized new agreements with all partners, including financial ones (Mastercard and Visa), the unlimited access of premium card holders is temporarily suspended. Now access to the business lounge is possible for an additional fee, according to the airport tariffs – 35 euros per visit. This regime is temporary, concerns only the Business Lounge at Chisinau Airport and does not affect access to other lounge areas around the world.
