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Chișinău International Airport

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Chișinău International Airport (Romanian: Aeroportul Internațional Chișinău; IATA: RMO, ICAO: LUKK) is Moldova's main international airport, located 13 km (8.1 mi) southeast of the centre of Chișinău, the capital city.[1] It served as headquarters for Air Moldova,[3][4] the country's national airline.

Chișinău International Airport

Aeroportul Internațional Chișinău
The airport's main terminal in 2019
Summary
Airport typePublic
OperatorChișinău International Airport Company
ServesChișinău
LocationChișinău, Moldova
Opened1960; 64 years ago (1960)
Hub for
Elevation AMSL399 ft / 122 m
Coordinates46°55′40″N 028°55′51″E / 46.92778°N 28.93083°E / 46.92778; 28.93083
Websiteairport.md/en
Map
RMO is located in Moldova
RMO
RMO
Location in Moldova
Map
Runways
Direction Length Surface
m ft
08/26 3,590 11,778 Concrete
09/27 2,383 7,818 Concrete
Statistics (2023)
Passengers2,838,073
Aircraft movements24,947
Sources: Moldovan AIP at Eurocontrol,[1] statistics[2]

On 18 January 2024, the IATA airport code KIV, derived from Kishinev (the Russian and former English name of the city), was changed to RMO (Republica Moldova, "Republic of Moldova" in Romanian).[5] It is the only airport in Moldova with regular passenger flights.

History

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Early years

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The first scheduled flights to Chișinău started on 24 June 1926, on the route Bucharest–Galați–Chișinău and Iași. The flights were operated by CFRNA, later LARES.[6] A commemorative plaque, describing the first flight to Chișinău, was placed in the airport.

The main terminal was built in the 1970s, with a capacity of 1,200,000 passengers per year.

Development since the 1990s

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Interior of the airport after reconstruction

On 31 May 1995, Chișinău Airport was awarded the status of an international airport.

A major modernization and renovation of the airport was completed in 2002 by the Turkish company Akfen Holding. An annex terminal building with an area of 4,270 m2 (46,000 sq ft) was added to the renovated old terminal building of 7,600 m2 (82,000 sq ft). The project covered the construction of 3,000 m2 (32,000 sq ft) curtain walls, 3,200 m2 (34,000 sq ft) composite panels, 12,185 m2 (131,160 sq ft) asphalt road, a treatment plant with a capacity of 3,450 m3 (122,000 cu ft) a day, complete mechanical heating, ventilation and electrical systems, along with the X-ray security, luggage handling, master clock, and flight information systems. The annual capacity of the airport increased to 5.4 million passengers.[7]

Chișinău International Airport is a member of Airports Council International.

The airport closed temporarily on 24 February 2022, as Moldovan airspace was closed in the wake of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.[8] On 22 March 2022, the Civil Aviation Authority of Moldova partially reopened the country's airspace, which led to the resumption of operations at the airport.[9]

On 14 March 2023, WizzAir suspended flights to/from Moldova due to concerns over airspace safety.[10] After this, Igor Grosu, the president of the Moldovan Parliament, met with representatives of Ryanair to convince the company to operate flights at the airport, in order to replace Wizz Air as its main low-cost airline.[11]

Facilities

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There were ten check-in desks and five gates at the airport in 2009.[12] VIP and CIP guests are offered special services at the VIP terminal. A visitors' terrace on the second floor opened in December 2006.

Previously, passengers had to present their passport, ticket and their registration (of foreigners – which used to be required). Passengers were allowed in the check-in hall. With the introduction of e-tickets and the abolition of the registration for foreigners, the airport reorganised in late 2006. This resulted in a bigger check-in hall, and customs control is now after check-in.

There are plans to enlarge the airport.[13] The project involves a €19 million loan to Chișinău International Airport for the rehabilitation and upgrade of the existing runway, taxiways, aprons, and ramps, engineering works, safety equipment and other connected core assets of Chișinău International Airport. The European Investment Bank (EIB) is considering co-financing alongside the EBRD for up to an equal amount.[14] Towards the end of 2017, plans for a second runway were unveiled. This runway would take the place of the current taxiway just north of the existing runway. The project began in early 2017. Runway 09–27 started operations on 13 September 2018.[15]

Airlines and destinations

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The following airlines offer regular scheduled and charter flights at Chișinău International Airport:

AirlinesDestinations
Aegean Airlines Athens[16]
Air Anka Seasonal charter: Antalya[17]
airBaltic Riga,[18] Vilnius (resumes 2 April 2025)[19][20]
Arkia Tel Aviv[21]
Austrian Airlines Vienna[22]
Azerbaijan Airlines Baku[23]
Bees Airlines Bologna ,[24] Bucharest–Otopeni, Verona[25]
Eurowings Cologne/Bonn,[26] Stuttgart[26]
FlyOne Alicante (begins 7 June 2025),[27] Amsterdam,[28] Berlin,[29] Bologna,[30] Bremen (begins 17 April 2025),[27] Brussels,[28] Copenhagen (begins 17 June 2025),[27] Dubai–International,[31] Dublin,[32] Düsseldorf,[28] Hahn, Istanbul,[32] Lisbon,[32] London–Luton,[33] London–Stansted,[33][34] Lyon (begins 19 June 2025),[27] Manchester (begins 17 December 2024),[35] Milan–Malpensa,[32] Munich,[29] Paris–Charles de Gaulle, Parma, Prague,[32] Rome–Fiumicino,[29] Tbilisi,[29] Tel Aviv,[36] Thessaloniki,[34][32] Verona
Seasonal: Barcelona,[32] Dubai–Al Maktoum,[37] Heraklion,[38] Larnaca,[32] Madrid,[29] Nice,[28] Valencia[29]
Seasonal charter: Antalya, Bodrum,[38] Izmir,[38] Sharm El Sheikh,[38] Tivat
FlyOne Armenia Yerevan[28]
Georgian Wings Seasonal: Tbilisi[39]
HiSky Beauvais, Bergamo, Bologna,[40] Bucharest–Otopeni,[41] Dublin,[42] Düsseldorf,[43] Frankfurt, Hamburg,[44] Istanbul,[43] London–Stansted,[45][42] Rome–Fiumicino,[46] Tel Aviv,[47] Venice[48]
Seasonal charter: Hurghada
Israir Airlines Tel Aviv[49]
LOT Polish Airlines Warsaw–Chopin
Lufthansa Frankfurt[50]
Mavi Gök Airlines Seasonal charter: Antalya[51]
Pegasus Airlines Antalya, Istanbul–Sabiha Gökçen[52][53]
Sky Vision Airlines Seasonal charter: Hurghada, Sharm El Sheikh[54]
Sun d'Or Tel Aviv[55]
Tailwind Airlines Seasonal charter: Antalya[56]
TAROM Bucharest–Otopeni[57]
Transavia Seasonal: Paris–Orly (begins 7 July 2025)[58]
Turkish Airlines Istanbul
Wizz Air Abu Dhabi,[59][60] Beauvais (begins 17 December 2024),[61] Berlin (begins 17 December 2024),[62] Bologna (begins 18 December 2024),[63] Budapest, Charleroi (begins 19 December 2024),[64] Dortmund (begins 16 December 2024),[65] Katowice (begins 1 June 2025),[66] London–Luton, Memmingen (begins 16 December 2024),[67] Milan–Malpensa, Nuremberg (begins 19 December 2024),[68] Rome–Fiumicino, Verona (begins 16 December 2024),[69] Venice, Vienna,[70] Warsaw–Chopin[71]

Statistics

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Satellite Chisinau 2002
 
Aerial view of the airport
 
Central commercial area
 
The Presidential Band of the Republic of Moldova at the airport during Joe Biden's visit to Moldova.
Annual passenger traffic at KIV airport. See Wikidata query.

In 2022, Chișinău Airport handled around 2.31 million passengers, an increase of over 25% compared to 2021 (1.84 million passengers).[72]

Year Passengers (total)[2][73][74] Change Aircraft movements (total)[2][75] Change Cargo (tonnes)[2] Change
2000 254,178 N/A 9,521 N/A 2,400
2001 274,662   8.0% 9,866   3.6% 1,700
2002 296,431   7.9% 10,416   5.5% 1,300
2003 341,695   15.2% 9,502   8.7% 1,300
2004 421,011   23.2% 10,759   13.2% 1,400
2005 482,741   14.6% 11,126   3.4% 1,700
2006 548,331   13.5% 10,065   9.5% 1,800
2007 688,782   25.6% 11,623   15.4% 2,300
2008 847,881   23.1% 12,935   11.3% 2,468.8
2009 808,096   4.7% 12,355   4.5% 2,033.2   17.6%
2010 937,030   15.9% 13,751   11.3% 2,399.2   18.0%
2011 1,046,086   11.6% 15,022   9.2% 2,666.2   11.1%
2012 1,220,506   16.7% 16,113   7.3% 2,765.4   3.7%
2013 1,321,236   8.2% 16,858   4.6% 2,951.8   6.7%
2014 1,781,166   34.8% 19,756   17.2% 2,923.5   0.9%
2015 2,226,441   25.0% 22,468   13.7% 2,891.8   1.1%
2016 2,206,266   0.9% 22,033   1.9% 2,774.3   4.1%
2017 2,744,465   24.4% 27,113   23.1% 3,488.7   25.7%
2018 2,828,626   3.1% 27,949   3.1% 4,186.6   20.0%
2019 2,995,530   5.9% 27,092   3.1% 3,767.7   10.0%
2020 900,731   69.9% 9,870   63.6%
2021 1,822,505   102.3% 16,590   68.1%
2022 2,254,199   23.7% 19,199   15.7%
2023 2,838,073  25.9% 24,947   29.9% 2,652.6

Routes

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Busiest international routes at Chișinău Airport by weekly flights
Rank City Airport(s) Weekly Departures
(16 June 2024)[77] 		Airlines
1.   Istanbul Istanbul Airport 35 Turkish Airlines
FlyOne
2.   Bucharest Henri Coandă International Airport 26 TAROM
HiSky
3.   Antalya Antalya Airport 22 Pegasus Airlines
FlyOne
Turkish Airlines
Southwind Airlines
4.   Tel Aviv Ben Gurion Airport 17 FlyOne
HiSky
5.   London London Luton Airport 14 FlyOne
Wizz Air
6.   Yerevan Zvartnots International Airport 14 FlyOne
FlyOne Armenia
7.   Warsaw Warsaw Chopin Airport 13 LOT Polish Airlines
8.   Vienna Vienna Airport 13 Austrian Airlines
9.   Dublin Dublin Airport 11 FlyOne
HiSky
10.   Heraklion Heraklion International Airport 9 FlyOne

Other facilities

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Ground transportation

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Trolleybus number 30 in front of the terminal
 
Veaceslav Jiglitski and Tetyana Jiglitska (Bazarova) near the "Crew" monument

There are bus and trolleybus lines frequently departing from the airport.

Incidents and accidents

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  • At 11:49 on 15 May 1970, CCCP-11149, an Antonov An-10A of Aeroflot's Ulyanovsk Advanced Flying Training College, crashed during a go-around when both engines shut down. All 11 onboard were killed.[79]
  • On 11 April 2008, Kata Air Transport Flight 007, a Sudanese cargo An-32 "Cline" flying from Vienna to Khartoum via Antalya crashed on approach to the airport, killing all eight on board. The plane was returning to the airport, where it had just been repaired, due to engine problems.[80]
  • On 30 June 2023, 43-year-old Tajikistani national, Rustam Ashurov, who was wanted for criminal charges in his home country[81] and had been refused entry to Moldova from Turkey, snatched a gun from a border police officer and opened fire, killing a border guard and an airport security official, and injuring another person. The gunman was wounded and arrested.[82] He died in a hospital three days later.[83]

Interesting facts

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In 2019, Moldovan sculptor Veaceslav Jiglitski installed the sculpture group "Crew" in the passenger check-in hall.[84]

At the entrance to the airport there is a monument to a decommissioned Tu-134 aircraft

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "EAD Basic - Error Page". Retrieved 3 June 2015.
  2. ^ a b c d Statistică şi indicatori Archived 2023-04-06 at the Wayback Machine at caa.md
  3. ^ "Air Moldova prodloužila přerušení letů až do poloviny července | Airways.cz".
  4. ^ "Air Moldova unlikely to restart - CAA".
  5. ^ "Aeroportul Internațional Chișinău a trecut la abrevierea în limba română, renunțându-se la cea moștenită din epoca sovietică". HotNews (in Romanian). 18 January 2024.
  6. ^ Airline companies in Rumania (1918–1945)[permanent dead link‍]
  7. ^ Chișinău International Airport at azworldairports.com
  8. ^ "Chisinau Airport". Chisinau Airport. Retrieved 2022-03-11.
  9. ^ "Chisinau Airport".
  10. ^ "Wizz Air suspendă zborurile spre și dinspre Chișinău din 14 martie 2023". 27 February 2023.
  11. ^ "VIDEO Când va opera Ryanair zboruri din Chișinău? Igor Grosu a dezvăluit principalul obstacol". 16 March 2023.
  12. ^ About Chisinau International Airport Archived 2009-07-07 at the Wayback Machine at booking.md
  13. ^ "Error 404". Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 3 June 2015.
  14. ^ "All Press Releases". 16 March 2015. Archived from the original on 8 January 2014. Retrieved 3 June 2015.
  15. ^ "LIVE! Evenimentul de deschidere oficială a noii piste de aterizare/decolare a Aeroportului Chişinău". Realitatea Live!. Archived from the original on 5 August 2021. Retrieved 4 February 2019.
  16. ^ "Rută nouă: Chișinău – Atena cu Aegean Airlines din noiembrie 2023". 2 September 2023.
  17. ^ "În sezonul de vară 2024, care va începe din 31 martie, curent, ai posibilitatea să călătorești din Aeroportul Chișinău, zilnic, cu partenerii noștri, către 48 de destinații pe care te invităm să le descoperi și tu". 30 March 2024.
  18. ^ "New Route: Chisinau - Riga with AirBaltic from May 2024". 29 August 2023.
  19. ^ "airBaltic launches 16 new routes across the Baltic States, expands connectivity". Aviation24.be.
  20. ^ "airBaltic NS25 Network Expansion – 04SEP24". AeroRoutes. 5 September 2024. Retrieved 5 September 2024.
  21. ^ "În sezonul de vară 2024, care va începe din 31 martie, curent, ai posibilitatea să călătorești din Aeroportul Chișinău, zilnic, cu partenerii noștri, către 48 de destinații pe care te invităm să le descoperi și tu". 30 March 2024.
  22. ^ "Austrian NW24 Europe Frequency Changes – 26MAY24". Aeroroutes.
  23. ^ Gasimov, Kamran (9 August 2023). "Azerbaijan's AZAL starts direct flights from Baku to capital of Moldova". Trend.Az. Retrieved 9 August 2023.
  24. ^ Liu, Jim (3 October 2024). "Bees Airlines Romania Expands Italy Routes in NW24". AeroRoutes. Retrieved 4 October 2024.
  25. ^ "Bees Airlines Romania Outlines Scheduled Network from August 2024".
  26. ^ a b "Eurowings NS24 Network Additions – 30NOV23". AeroRoutes. 30 November 2023. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
  27. ^ a b c d "Fly One Expands Moldova Network in NS25". Aeroroutes. Retrieved 6 September 2024.
  28. ^ a b c d e "Fly One Summer 2022 Network Additions". Aeroroutes.com. Retrieved 2 November 2024.
  29. ^ a b c d e f "FLYONE NS23 CHISINAU NETWORK ADDITIONS – 07MAR23".
  30. ^ "FLYONE NS23 CHISINAU NETWORK ADDITIONS – 11MAY23".
  31. ^ "FLYONE anunță trei rute noi de la Chișinău pentru vara anului 2023". 14 May 2023.
  32. ^ a b c d e f g h "Fly One NS24 Network Expansion". Aeroroutes.com. Retrieved 2 November 2024.
  33. ^ a b "Fly One 2H23 London Service Additions". Aeroroutes.com. Retrieved 2 November 2024.
  34. ^ a b "FLYONE | Cheap flights from Chisinau and Yerevan".
  35. ^ Liu, Jim (6 June 2024). "Fly One Adds Chisinau – Manchester From Dec 2024". AeroRoutes. Retrieved 9 June 2024.
  36. ^ אזולאי, איתי (20 February 2024). "FLYONE מולדובה חוזרת לטוס לישראל". פספורטניוז (in Hebrew). Retrieved 20 February 2024.
  37. ^ "Fly One NS24 Dubai Service Changes". AeroRoutes. Retrieved 27 May 2024.
  38. ^ a b c d "Flight Schedules and Airline Availability". tez-tour.com.
  39. ^ Dolghii, Ana Maria (8 December 2023). "Georgian Wings lansează cursa avia Tbilisi - Chișinău - Tbilisi. Cât costă biletele". NewsMaker (in Romanian). Retrieved 13 December 2023.
  40. ^ "HiSky Schedules Barcelona / Bologna Service in NS23". Aeroroutes.com. Retrieved 2 November 2024.
  41. ^ "Rută nouă: București - Chișinău cu HiSky din septembrie 2023". 13 July 2023.
  42. ^ a b "HiSky late-Sep 2023 Chisinau Network Expansion". Aeroroutes.com. Retrieved 2 November 2024.
  43. ^ a b "Noutăți excelente de la HiSky. Compania aeriană LANSEAZĂ alte trei rute noi cu plecarea din Chișinău".
  44. ^ "Hamburg bekommt neue Verbindung nach Chișinău". 25 January 2024.
  45. ^ "HiSky".
  46. ^ "HiSky va zbura din aprilie 2023 din Chișinău spre Roma". 2 March 2023.
  47. ^ "HiSky Adds Cluj – Tel Aviv Service in NS23". Aeroroutes.com. Retrieved 2 November 2024.
  48. ^ "HiSky Europe NS23 Network Additions". Aeroroutes.com. Retrieved 2 November 2024.
  49. ^ "Israir Schedules Chisinau Service in NW23". AeroRoutes. 8 August 2023. Retrieved 9 August 2023.
  50. ^ Machado, João (19 January 2024). "Lufthansa to fly to Moldova". Aviacionline.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 19 January 2024.
  51. ^ "În sezonul de vară 2024, care va începe din 31 martie, curent, ai posibilitatea să călătorești din Aeroportul Chișinău, zilnic, cu partenerii noștri, către 48 de destinații pe care te invităm să le descoperi și tu". 30 March 2024.
  52. ^ "Pegasus Airlines NS24 Network Additions – 23APR24". AeroRoutes. 24 April 2024. Retrieved 24 April 2024.
  53. ^ "În sezonul de vară 2024, care va începe din 31 martie, curent, ai posibilitatea să călătorești din Aeroportul Chișinău, zilnic, cu partenerii noștri, către 48 de destinații pe care te invităm să le descoperi și tu". 30 March 2024.
  54. ^ "În sezonul de vară 2024, care va începe din 31 martie, curent, ai posibilitatea să călătorești din Aeroportul Chișinău, zilnic, cu partenerii noștri, către 48 de destinații pe care te invităm să le descoperi și tu". 30 March 2024.
  55. ^ "În sezonul de vară 2024, care va începe din 31 martie, curent, ai posibilitatea să călătorești din Aeroportul Chișinău, zilnic, cu partenerii noștri, către 48 de destinații pe care te invităm să le descoperi și tu". 30 March 2024.
  56. ^ "În sezonul de vară 2024, care va începe din 31 martie, curent, ai posibilitatea să călătorești din Aeroportul Chișinău, zilnic, cu partenerii noștri, către 48 de destinații pe care te invităm să le descoperi și tu". 30 March 2024.
  57. ^ "TAROM NS23 Service Adjustment – 11JAN23". Aeroroutes.com. Retrieved 2 November 2024.
  58. ^ "Transavia France NS25 Network Additions – 22OCT24". Aeroroutes. Retrieved 23 October 2024.
  59. ^ "Wizz Air: Trei rute noi de la Chișinău din septembrie 2024". 4 July 2024.
  60. ^ "Wizz Air NW24 Network Additions – 14SEP24". AeroRoutes. 18 September 2024. Retrieved 25 September 2024.
  61. ^ https://boardingpass.ro/wizz-air-redeschide-baza-de-la-chisinau-si-redeschide-opt-rute-aeriene/
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  66. ^ https://www.fly4free.pl/4-nowe-trasy-wizz-aira-z-pyrzowic-madryt-moldawia/https://www.fly4free.pl/4-nowe-trasy-wizz-aira-z-pyrzowic-madryt-moldawia/
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  68. ^ https://boardingpass.ro/wizz-air-redeschide-baza-de-la-chisinau-si-redeschide-opt-rute-aeriene/
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  71. ^ "Wizz Air: Trei rute noi de la Chișinău din septembrie 2024". 4 July 2024.
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  73. ^ European Airport Traffic Trends at anna.aero
  74. ^ "Anker-report.com EATS-European Airport Traffic Statistics". The Anker Report.
  75. ^ In 2013 Chisinau International Airport carried a record number of passengers Archived 2016-06-25 at the Wayback Machine at airport.md
  76. ^ Сîți pasageri au trecut prin Aeroportul Chișinău de la începutul anului NOI.md
  77. ^ Top routes from RMO
  78. ^ "Contacts Archived 2012-03-25 at the Wayback Machine." Civil Aviation Authority. Retrieved on 4 November 2011. "Postal address: Republica Moldova, Chisinau, Aeroport, MD-2026"
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  81. ^ "Two killed in Moldova airport shooting, gunman arrested". Aljazeera. 1 July 2023.
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  84. ^ "В аэропорту Кишинева появилась скульптура "Экипаж"".
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