Stas Madan
Stas Madan, program director of the Center for Expert-Grup, cites these figures. “Our airport has suddenly become a much more important regional hub. It is used by, among others, some Ukrainian citizens from the southern regions, especially from the Odessa region. But the most important thing that has happened in recent years is a significant increase in the number of air carriers, especially in the last two years. I counted on the airport’s website about 18 airlines, which operate flights to 25 countries to about 60 destinations,” Madan told Radio Moldova.
According to him, the influence of the diaspora on the growing passenger traffic cannot be ignored.
“What has happened to our diaspora over the last 10 years is the mass relocation of many who used to work in the Russian Federation to EU countries, where many more flight options are available. In 2024, we have already seen a 46% increase in passenger traffic, and we have passed the 4 million mark. And according to the results of the first half of this year, according to the movements of aircraft, we can see that we will exceed 5 million passengers”, – said the expert.
In turn, Vasile Charamet, head of the Civil Aviation Authority, said that the authorities are preparing investments in the modernization of airport infrastructure.
“The state has developed a plan for the reconstruction of the existing terminal, which will be presented at the end of July. Also, the airport’s capacity will be increased – it should reach about 6 million passengers. Additionally, for the next year, we will focus on the issues of providing slots (allocated time for taking off or landing an airplane – ed.) and how they will be allocated,” Charamet said.
He noted the current strain on infrastructure: “Now we have queues both at the entrance and departure, because the passenger traffic at Chisinau International Airport is very intensive – in June we served 620 thousand passengers, which was a record for the airport. In July we expect 700 thousand passengers, and in August – almost 800 thousand passengers, which is very, very much for our infrastructure”.
According to Sharamet, despite the overload, the airport is trying to provide quality and comfortable conditions for passengers, the process of checking and control lasts “no longer than 45 minutes to one hour”.
The idea of launching the Marculeshti airport for passenger flights is also being discussed in the public space, with an estimated investment of 4 to 5 million euros.
Nevertheless, the development prospects depend on the geopolitical stability and strategic course of the Republic of Moldova, says Stas Madan.
“There are many uncertain factors. A lot depends on how long this terrible war in Ukraine will last and whether we remain committed to the European course. Because if we become like Belarus – nobody will definitely need us,” the expert concluded.
