With highs and lows, 2017 is nearing its end. It is a good time for conclusions. On this occasion, IPN has gathered good thought from all over the globe, this time only good thoughts, from decision-makers and from those on the receiving end of these decisions. What good has come of 2017? This is the question we posed to the people who have accepted to join us in our pursuit of the good in our surroundings and in the events that affect us. Although many things do not follow our wishes, winners are the people and societies that learn to see challenges and lesser things as extra opportunities to get involved and make things better. For each of the topics we approach, we provide rankings that reflect the opinions of those who developed them. Read further for the good things 2017 has brought to civil aviation.
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Ranking by the Ministry of Economy and Infrastructure:
1. Route map expanded.
“Special emphasis has been put on updating and expanding the fleet, as well as the route map. In 2017, Air Moldova has launched three new flights, operated from Chisinau to Krasnodar in Russia, Dubai in the UAE, and Geneva – Switzerland. A new flight route will launch in April 2018, Chisinau – Ekaterinburg, Russia, allowing passenger from the Ural and Siberia regions to fly faster and with fewer layovers towards Chisinau and other European Cities.”
2. Chisinau International Airport runway is undergoing an upgrade
“The bearing index of the runway layer has risen from 51 to 70, allowing the Chisinau airport to serve any kind of aircraft, without restrictions, including large fuselage planes. Furthermore, runway lighting has been upgraded on the 1km sector of the runway, allowing to expanding the current landing category from II to III, and will facilitate landing in very low visibility conditions. These upgrades will considerably reduce the risk of late or canceled flights.”
3. Moldova has joined the Cape Town Convention.
“After joining, airway companies will apply international standards for registering sales contracts, leasing guarantee contracts, and conditional sales contracts, as well as various ways of addressing unfulfilled contractual obligations. Aircraft move around countries with different legal approaches to ownership, which poses great risk to manufacturers and investors involved in aircraft exports. These risks can often lead to increased prices for aircraft imports. The Convention aim to reduce these costs and facilitate access to capital for funding aircraft and other mobile equipment. There will be no need to study the legal frameworks of debtor states, because the Convention holds for all of the states that ratified it.”
4. Bilateral Agreement negotiations have commenced (Ukraine, India, and USA).
“This year, the procedures for initiating negotiations on bilateral Agreements (Ukraine, India, and USA) have commenced. Signing bilateral Agreements will increase passenger flow, thus creating new jobs and direct benefits to consumers, reflected in higher quality services, lower fares and travel times. National aircraft operators will be able to access new markets.”
Ranking by Chişinău International Airport:
1. Upgrades at the Chişinău International Airport
The Chişinău International Airport is undergoing a major upgrade. The upgrades to the second runway are 80% complete.
2. Over 145 thousand sq. m. of the airport’s surface have been renovated, following projects applied in Europe’s largest airports.
3. The Chişinău International Airport terminal has been renovated and upgraded.
4. The largest low-cost flight company in Central and Eastern Europe has inaugurated an operational base at the Chişinău International Airport.
5. New flight routes: Berlin, Dubai, Geneva, Izmir, Krasnodar, Valencia, Zakynthos.
Ranking by the Civil Aviation Authority (AAC):
1. The map for routes accessible for Moldovan citizens has been expanded.
“Joining the European Common Aviation Area (ECAA) in 2012, has allowed Moldova to develop its aviation market. Today, the Chişinău International Airport manages flights to over 40 cities, offering hundreds of connections. Ticket prices have fallen considerably. 2017 saw the launch of routes such as Geneva, Berlin, Krasnodar. By launching a flight to Dubai, the operator has penetrated the Middle-Eastern market. Wizz Air, the largest low-cost flight company in Central and Eastern Europe has opened an operational base at the Chişinău International Airport, and is working on offering flights out of Chişinău. We are expecting new companies in 2018, and thus new price and destination offers.”
2. Passenger security maintained at high level
“The Moldovan AAC has become the first civil aviation institution in EU partner states to sign the new Working Arrangements with the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA). This is another confirmation of the trust international institutions put into the degree of competence and qualification of AAC staff. Eurocontrol has also decided to designate Moldova as a member of the group to elect the new Eurocontrol Director General.”
3. The Chişinău airport upgrade has commenced.
“By updating and renovating the running surfaces and the platforms, both the level of security of flights serviced by the Chişinău airport, as well as the quality of services provided to airlines grow, the passengers being the final beneficiaries of these developments. Common efforts from investors, from international and national oversight institutions, will attract new airlines to the Chişinău International Airport. These actions will bring sizeable benefits to our country, by increasing passenger traffic, but also by raising competition on the aviation market in Moldova.”
4. Progress on the implementation of the Single European Sky Agreement
“Implementing the Single European Sky plan is one the key policies for the AAC, as it deals with improvements to the national aviation market. In 2017, the AAC has managed to transpose all of the European Committee regulations into national legislation, meant to raise Moldovan civil aviation to the standards set by the European Committee for all EU aviation authorities.”
5. Passengers have been better informed on their rights.
“In 2017, the AAC has conducted an ample awareness campaign on the rights of passengers. In Moldova, aircraft passengers have the same rights and are eligible for the same compensations as those of the EU airspace. Our observations show that most passengers don’t know their rights. Furthermore, companies are not in a hurry to give out compensations. By amending Law 131 on state control over entrepreneur activity, the AAC has been included in the list of control bodies that can apply the provisions of this Law. In 2018, the AAC will assume maximum competencies to examine passengers’ petitions on the quality of civil aviation services. This will allow us to address passenger petitions faster and more efficiently, when they meet the provisions of the regulation.”
Other articles in the “Goods of 2017” series:
What good things did 2017 bring in Transnistrian settlement process. IPN Campaign
What good things did 2017 bring in education. IPN Campaign
What are the accomplishments of 2017 in tourism! IPN campaign
What good things did 2017 bring in environmental sector. IPN Campaign
What good things did 2017 bring in cinematography. IPN Campaign
The Goods of 2017 in Rights for People with Disabilities. An IPN Campaign
The Goods of 2017 in Organ and Tissue Transplants. An IPN Campaign
The Goods of 2017 in Literature. An IPN Campaign
The Goods of 2017 in Volunteering. An IPN Campaign
The Goods of 2017 in Support for Children without Parental Care. An IPN Campaign
The Goods of 2017 in the Bank Fraud Probe. An IPN Campaign
The Goods of 2017 in Foreign Policy. An IPN Campaign
The Goods of 2017 in Cultural Heritage and Landmark Preservation. An IPN Campaign
The Goods of 2017 in Justice and Rule of Law. An IPN Campaign
The Goods of 2017 in Agriculture. An IPN Campaign
The Goods of 2017 in Mass Media. An IPN Campaign.
