The joint decision of the Government and Parliament of the Republic of Moldova is that the Airport remains under state management, said Minister of Economic Development and Digitalization Dumitru Alaiba. According to the official, in order to increase the profitability of this enterprise, the authorities aim to extend the powers of the Airport’s administration. The airport infrastructure can be modernized through loans or other forms of financing, IPN reports.

On May 14, PAS MP Radu Marian registered an amendment by which the state-run enterprise Chisinau International Airport is included in the list of assets that cannot be privatized. According to the MP, the application of the ban on the privatization of the Airport allows the extension from three to five years of the period during which commercial spaces at the Airport can be rented. Minister Dumitru Alaiba said that the Government agrees with the Parliament’s decision, and the management of the Airport remains exclusively the prerogative of the state.

“The MPs took this decision and the decision had been consulted with the Government. It is our joint decision to keep the Airport state-owned. It is the only asset of its kind in the Republic of Moldova. It is a strategic objective. So, we must focus on its efficient management. I still consider that it is harder for a state to manage a private business, but this is not a one-size-fits-all rule. When you manage to name a professional, competent administration, anything is possible. The state, after all, is just a shareholder,” Dumitru Alaiba stated in the talk show “Economic Indicator” on Radio Moldova.

The official said that the Airport can be modernized and developed by increasing the administration’s powers. The necessary financial resources can be identified from loans.

“By professionalizing the administration, anything is possible. Resources can be identified, either from loans or other financing, or on the stock exchange, on the capital market. That’s still a solution. In the case of the Airport, it was decided that it would not be privatized. Here we follow the line of professionalization. We are increasing the level of skills,” said the Minister of Economic Development and Digitalization.

The Chisinau International Airport officially returned under state management in April 2023. In 2013, this strategic facility was conceded for a period of 49 years to Avia Invest. In 2020, the authorities started the process of terminating the concession contract, invoking the lack of investments in the Airport’s infrastructure.