An assistance project in the area of civil aviation, implemented under the aegis of the European Aviation Safety Agency, was launched in Chisinau on July 13. Eight states are beneficiaries of this project, namely Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Kirghizstan, Tajikistan, and Moldova, IPN reports.
“Civil aviation represents the visiting card of a country abroad. Within this project, Moldova will benefit from the consultancy of the best EU specialists in the field. The reformation of air transport is a strategic direction for the Government of the Republic of Moldova. By developing this sector, we expect not only the passenger transportation capacity to increase, but also the national economy to develop by indirectly stimulating such areas of activity as financial services, tourism and trade,” Prime Minister Pavel Filip said in the project launch.
The Premier noted that after the Common Aviation Area Agreement was signed with the EU, the number of direct flights from Moldova was increased. A number of low-cost carriers entered the market and ticket prices decreased. The civil aviation industry is a relatively young sector in Moldova, but it best integrated into the competent community bodies.
Minister of Transport and Road Infrastructure Iurie Chirinciuc stated that the project will be a catalyst for the further implementation of the European aviation safety standards and for the aligning of the national legislation with the European one.
Henric Hololei, executive director of the European Commission’s Directorate General for Mobility and Transpor, said the project is designed to strengthen the capacities of the aviation authorities of the eight countries in improving control over flight safety, contributing in parallel to increasing the people’s mobility.
The three-year project has a budget of €5 million.
