Air Moldova airline says that it is ready to clear its debts to the providers and to fulfill its obligations to the passengers, but the financial problems it experiences now are due to the actions of a commercial bank that blocked a sum of 150 million lei. This money can help the company to pay the service providers so as not to daily cancel flights, to increase its fleet and to work without constrains. The bank’s actions seem to be aimed at pushing the airline towards bankruptcy, IPN reports, with reference to a press release of Air Moldova.
The company noted that a part of the debts are historical debts accumulated by the state-run company, which Air Moldova has repaid since 2018 until present. Another part of the debts were caused by the pandemic, the war and the loss of key destinations. “The bank, by abusive contract clauses, obliges Air Moldova to beg its own money so as to pay for the operation of flights and every time it meets with refusal, the company has to cancel flights,” said the airline, noting it nevertheless continues to pay its debts daily and takes measures to manage the situation and to prevent the bankruptcy of the national operator.
Air Moldova says it agrees with the assertions made by President Maia Sandu about the defective management of the former state-run company Air Moldova. It asked the Prosecutor’s Office to inform it about the stage at which the cases featuring the former director of Air Moldova are now.
Recently, employees of Air Moldova sent a petition to the President’s Office, noting that President Maia Sandu is the last chance to save the national operator or this will go bankrupt. In a response, Maia Sandu said the accumulated debts should be cleared by those who amassed them, noting the authorities are waiting for news from the Prosecutor’s Office about the way in which the company went bankrupt when it was state property and was later privatized.