Moldova initiates liberalization of airspace with three countries

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration, together with the Ministry of Transport and Road Infrastructure, launched the procedures for liberalizing the airspace with Germany, Italy, and Austria, Info-Prim Neo reports. According to a communiqué from the Government, such a step was taken following the initialing of the Common Aviation Area by the Government of Moldova and the EU in October 2011 and the approval by the EU of the given procedures. As a result, the daily flights from Munich to Chisinau operated by the airline Lufthansa have doubled. On June 4, the national airline Air Moldova will launch direct flights to three destinations in northern Italy - Verona, Venice, and Bologna. Until now, Air Moldova could not operate such flights owing to the limitations imposed by the bilateral agreement signed by Italy and Moldova. Moreover, the bilateral liberalization creates preconditions for the operator Alitalia to enter the transport services market of Moldova, for increasing competitiveness and reducing the prices of plane tickets.