Financial problems at "Air Moldova". Employees of the company ask President Maia Sandu to intervene to unblock the situation
"Air Moldova" cancelled several flights on Thursday, after thousands of passengers with pre-purchased tickets were left at the airport in recent days due to the flight stoppage. "The company is on the verge of bankruptcy," the employees claim and call on President Maia Sandu to intervene to unblock the situation. State institutions are monitoring developments and will come with information in due course, the presidency responded to their request.
Travellers who had tickets for Thursday on flights operated by "Air Moldova" to and from Italy, Ireland, Turkey and Georgia had to turn back. The company's problems are said to have started during the Covid pandemic, which in fact affected all civil aviation, and have been exacerbated by Western sanctions against Ilan Șor.
Air Moldova employees have launched a public petition asking President Maia Sandu to intervene to unblock the company's financial situation. In their petition, they note that the company is unable to pay salaries and airport services and risks bankruptcy within days. In response, the Presidency informs that it has received and registered the petition of Air Moldova employees, and the competent state institutions are monitoring the situation and will provide information in due course. The Civil Aviation Authority also announced on 12 April that flights were cancelled due to financial problems at "Air Moldova" and warned that if the situation was not remedied, the company could lose its Air Operator Certificate.
"Air Moldova" was privatised in 2018, and later Ilan Șor became its real beneficiary. Currently, the company has debts of over 2 billion lei - with half a billion accumulated in the last year alone and assets seized in a criminal case opened on the troubled privatisation. The airline operator also has problems with its fleet, as it can't lease ships because of US and UK sanctions. Earlier, when sanctions against Șor caused bank accounts to be frozen, the state stepped in to help Air Moldova.
