---
title: "New aircraft on Bucharest-Chișinău route named after Ivan Patzaichin"
url: https://moldova1.md/p/86821/new-aircraft-on-bucharest-chisinau-route-named-after-ivan-patzaichin
published: 2026-10-03T18:35:00Z
language: en
author: "Evelina Curca"
section: "Social"
source: moldova1.md
---

# New aircraft on Bucharest-Chișinău route named after Ivan Patzaichin

> A new aircraft will now fly the Bucharest-Chișinău route and bears the name of legendary Romanian canoeist Ivan Patzaichin. It has nearly 200 seats, and officials, journalists, and passengers traveled on its first flight. Authorities say a new aircraft was needed because the route between the two capitals is in very high demand.

[Video](https://www.youtube.com/embed/GZiTZatd1TY)

A new aircraft will now fly the Bucharest-Chișinău route and bears the name of legendary Romanian canoeist Ivan Patzaichin. It has nearly 200 seats, and officials, journalists, and passengers traveled on its first flight. Authorities say a new aircraft was needed because the route between the two capitals is in very high demand.

![](https://storage.moldova1.md/images/6486a670-e826-4201-bffd-b11b536ff91a.jpg)

Among the passengers on the first Bucharest-Chișinău flight was also Iosif Bogdan Vecea. He came together with his father and grandmother, for whom this was her first trip by plane.

*„-How was the flight? - Very nice. - What did you like, what didn’t you like? -I liked everything. It’s my first time on a plane. - What did you feel? - Joy, it was nice”*. 

*„I’d say she liked it, she expected to feel something, but she was surprised that it was a peaceful journey. I’ve flown before, but this was something else, a new plane, its first trip, it seemed very nice to me”*.

![](https://storage.moldova1.md/images/61dbdea3-0a62-4ff3-a5ae-1de65da5c9b7.jpg)

For Elena Isabela Vasile, the flight also meant her first visit to Chișinău. She came from Bucharest together with her daughter.

*„Very beautiful, very smooth, without much turbulence. It is a very beautiful aircraft”*. 

*„-Will you want to come to Chișinău again? - Yes! - Why? - Because it is beautiful”*.

![](https://storage.moldova1.md/images/7912de20-1536-428b-99ba-b95c773f03aa.jpg)

![](https://storage.moldova1.md/images/8360c40c-87e1-4767-9f49-a9ef18d20a0f.jpg)

The aircraft is named after former Olympic canoeing champion Ivan Patzaichin.

*„He was very lucky, because he dreamed of becoming a champion, and he became a champion. He dreamed of becoming a pilot, he didn’t become a pilot, but at least he became an airplane”*, says Ivona Patzaichin, Ivan Patzaichin’s daughter.  

The new aircraft is being introduced on an important route for connections between Romania and the Republic of Moldova, which is highly sought after by passengers.

*„The transition from the aircraft that were commonly used to a new aircraft on this route speaks of importance, community, comfort”*, says Vladimir Bolea, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Infrastructure and Regional Development.

*„I urge all Romanians, from both banks of the Prut, to trust Romanian wings, to choose us with pride and to fly with us”*, said Ionel Scrioșteanu, Secretary of State, Ministry of Transport, Romania.

![](https://storage.moldova1.md/images/40b888a7-b740-4da0-aa15-399910634962.jpg)

The event takes place in a year of particular significance for the air links between the two capitals: it marks 100 years since the first commercial flight between Bucharest and Chișinău.