Chișinău International Airport

Chișinău International Airport (Romanian: Aeroportul Internațional Chișinău; IATA: KIV, ICAO: LUKK) is Moldova's main international airport, located 13 km (8.1 mi) southeast of the centre of Chișinău, the capital city.[1] It served as headquarters for Air Moldova,[3][4] the country's national airline. The IATA airport code KIV is derived from Kishinev (the Russian and former English name of the city).

Chișinău International Airport

Aeroportul Internațional Chișinău
Summary
Airport typePublic
OperatorChișinău International Airport Company
ServesChișinău
LocationChișinău, Moldova
Opened1960
Hub for
Elevation AMSL399 ft / 122 m
Coordinates46°55′40″N 028°55′51″E
Websiteairport.md/en
Map
KIV is located in Moldova
KIV
KIV
Location in Moldova
Runways
Direction Length Surface
m ft
08/26 3,590 11,778 Concrete
09/27 2,383 7,818 Concrete
Statistics (2019)
Passengers2,995,530
Aircraft movements27,092
Sources: Moldavian AIP at Eurocontrol,[1] statistics[2]

History

Early years

The first scheduled flights to Chișinău started on 24 June 1926, on the route Bucharest–Galați–Chișinău and Iași. The flights were operated by CFRNA, later LARES.[5] A commemorative plaque, describing the first flight to Chișinău, was placed in the airport.

The main terminal was built in the 1970s, with a capacity of 1,200,000 passengers per year.

Development since the 1990s
Interior of the airport after reconstruction

On 31 May 1995, Chișinău Airport was awarded the status of an international airport.

In 2002, following works by the Turkish company Akfen Holding, the airport was modernised. An annex terminal building with an area of 4,270 m2 (46,000 sq ft) was added to the renovated old terminal building of 7,600 m2 (82,000 sq ft). The project covered the construction of 3,000 m2 (32,000 sq ft) curtain walls, 3,200 m2 (34,000 sq ft) composite panels, 12,185 m2 (131,160 sq ft) asphalt road, a treatment plant with a capacity of 3,450 m3 (122,000 cu ft) a day, complete mechanical heating, ventilation and electrical systems, along with the X-ray security, luggage handling, master clock, and flight information systems. The annual capacity of the airport had increased to 5.4 million passengers.[6]

Chișinău International Airport is a member of Airports Council International.

The airport closed temporarily on 24 February 2022, as Moldovan airspace was closed in the wake of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.[7] On 22 March 2022, the Civil Aviation Authority of Moldova partially reopened the country's airspace, which led to the resumption of operations at the airport.[8]

On 14 March 2023, WizzAir suspended flights to/from Moldova due to concerns over airspace safety.[9] After this, Igor Grosu, the President of the Moldovan parliament, met with representatives of Ryanair to convince the company to operate flights at the airport, in order to replace Wizz Air as its main low-cost airline.[10]

Facilities

There were ten check-in desks and five gates at the airport in 2009.[11] VIP and CIP guests are offered special services at the VIP terminal. A visitors' terrace on the second floor opened in December 2006.

Previously, passengers had to present their passport, ticket and their registration (of foreigners – which used to be required). Passengers were allowed in the check-in hall. With the introduction of e-tickets and the abolition of the registration for foreigners, the airport reorganised in late 2006. This resulted in a bigger check-in hall, and customs control is now after check-in.

There are plans to enlarge the airport.[12] The project involves a €19 million loan to Chișinău International Airport for the rehabilitation and upgrade of the existing runway, taxiways, aprons, and ramps, engineering works, safety equipment and other connected core assets of Chișinău International Airport. The European Investment Bank ('EIB') is considering co-financing alongside the EBRD for up to an equal amount.[13] Towards the end of 2017, plans for a second runway were unveiled. This runway would take the place of the current taxiway just north of the existing runway. The project began in early 2017. Runway 09–27 started operations on 13 September 2018.[14]

Airlines and destinations

The following airlines offer regular scheduled and charter flights at Chișinău International Airport:

AirlinesDestinations
Aegean Airlines Athens (begins 3 November 2023)[15]
airBaltic Riga (begins 4 May 2024)[16]
Austrian Airlines Vienna
Azerbaijan Airlines Baku[17]
FlyOne Amsterdam, Berlin,[18] Bologna,[19] Brussels, Dubai–International (begins 1 November 2023),[20] Dublin, Düsseldorf, Hahn, Istanbul, Lisbon, London–Luton, London–Stansted,[21][22] Milan–Malpensa, Munich,[18] Paris–Charles de Gaulle, Parma, Prague (begins 1 April 2024),[18] Rome–Fiumicino,[18] Tbilisi,[18] Tel Aviv, Thessaloniki (begins 3 April 2024),[23] Verona, Yerevan
Seasonal: Barcelona, Dubai–Al Maktoum, Larnaca, Madrid,[18] Nice, Valencia[18]
Seasonal charter: Antalya, Bodrum,[24] Heraklion,[24] İzmir,[24] Sharm El Sheikh,[24] Tivat
Freebird Airlines Seasonal: Antalya
HiSky Beauvais, Bergamo, Bologna,[25] Bucharest–Otopeni,[26] Dublin, Düsseldorf,[27] Frankfurt, Istanbul,[27] London–Stansted,[28] Rome–Fiumicino,[29] Tel Aviv, Venice
Seasonal charter: Hurghada
Israir Tel Aviv (begins 29 October 2023)[30]
LOT Polish Airlines Warsaw–Chopin
Southwind Airlines Seasonal charter: Antalya[31]
TAROM Bucharest–Otopeni
Turkish Airlines Istanbul

Statistics
Satellit Chisinau 2002
Aerial view of the airport
Central commercial area
The Presidential Band of the Republic of Moldova at the airport during Joe Biden's visit to Moldova.
Annual passenger traffic at KIV airport. See Wikidata query.

In 2022, Chișinău Airport handled around 2.31 million passengers, an increase of over 25% compared to 2021 (1.84 million pax).[32]

Year Passengers (total)[2][33][34] Change Aircraft movements (total)[2][35] Change Cargo (tonnes)[2] Change
2000 254,178 N/A 9,521 N/A 2,400
2001 274,662 Increase 8.0% 9,866 Increase 3.6% 1,700
2002 296,431 Increase 7.9% 10,416 Increase 5.5% 1,300
2003 341,695 Increase 15.2% 9,502 Decrease 8.7% 1,300
2004 421,011 Increase 23.2% 10,759 Increase 13.2% 1,400
2005 482,741 Increase 14.6% 11,126 Increase 3.4% 1,700
2006 548,331 Increase 13.5% 10,065 Decrease 9.5% 1,800
2007 688,782 Increase 25.6% 11,623 Increase 15.4% 2,300
2008 847,881 Increase 23.1% 12,935 Increase 11.3% 2,468.8
2009 808,096 Decrease 4.7% 12,355 Decrease 4.5% 2,033.2 Decrease 17.6%
2010 937,030 Increase 15.9% 13,751 Increase 11.3% 2,399.2 Increase 18.0%
2011 1,046,086 Increase 11.6% 15,022 Increase 9.2% 2,666.2 Increase 11.1%
2012 1,220,506 Increase 16.7% 16,113 Increase 7.3% 2,765.4 Increase 3.7%
2013 1,321,236 Increase 8.2% 16,858 Increase 4.6% 2,951.8 Increase 6.7%
2014 1,781,166 Increase 34.8% 19,756 Increase 17.2% 2,923.5 Decrease 0.9%
2015 2,226,441 Increase 25.0% 22,468 Increase 13.7% 2,891.8 Decrease 1.1%
2016 2,206,266 Decrease 0.9% 22,033 Decrease 1.9% 2,774.3 Decrease 4.1%
2017 2,744,465 Increase 24.4% 27,113 Increase 23.1% 3,488.7 Increase 25.7%
2018 2,828,626 Increase 3.1% 27,949 Increase 3.1% 4,186.6 Increase 20.0%
2019 2,995,530 Increase 5.9% 27,092 Decrease 3.1% 3,767.7 Decrease 10.0%
2020 900,731 Decrease 69.9% 9,870 Decrease 63.6%
2021 1,822,505 Increase 102.3% 16,590 Increase 68.1%
2022 2,254,199 Increase 23.7% 19,199 Increase 15.7%

Routes
Busiest international routes at Chișinău Airport by weekly flights
Rank City Airport(s) Weekly Departures
(1 September 2023)[36]		 Airlines
1. Turkey Istanbul Istanbul Airport 34 Turkish Airlines
FlyOne
2. Romania Bucharest Henri Coandă International Airport 19 TAROM
3. Poland Warsaw Warsaw Chopin Airport 14 LOT Polish Airlines
4. Armenia Yerevan Zvartnots International Airport 14 FlyOne
FlyOne Armenia
5. Republic of Ireland Dublin Dublin Airport 9 FlyOne
HiSky
6. Israel Tel Aviv Ben Gurion Airport 9 FlyOne
HiSky
7. United Kingdom Essex London Stansted Airport 7 FlyOne
HiSky
8. Austria Vienna Vienna Airport 7 Austrian Airlines
9. Turkey Antalya Antalya Airport 7 Pegasus Airlines
FlyOne
Turkish Airlines
Southwind Airlines
10. United Kingdom Luton London Luton Airport 7 FlyOne

Other facilities

Ground transportation
Trolleybus number 30 in front of the terminal

There are bus and trolleybus lines and rutierele frequently departing from the airport (aerogara). Rutieră line 165 passes through the Botanica district and continues to the city center. The 'AEROGARA' bus departs from Piața D. Cantemir and has intermediate stops in the city center on Stefan Cel Mare street. It also stops at the central railway station 'GARA' bus station.

A trolleybus with the route 30 operates with a 20-minute interval from June 2017. A single-ride ticket costs 6 MDL, which is 0.31 EUR or 0.31 USD as of September 2022.[38][39] This is different from rutierele, which may stop at any time, given the driver is notified a few seconds prior. The nearest railway station is Revaca.

Incidents and accidents
  • At 11:49 on 15 May 1970, CCCP-11149, an Antonov An-10A of Aeroflot's Ulyanovsk Advanced Flying Training College, crashed during a go-around when both engines shut down. All 11 onboard were killed.[40]
  • On 11 April 2008, Kata Air Transport Flight 007, a Sudanese cargo An-32 "Cline" flying from Vienna to Khartoum via Antalya crashed on approach to the airport, killing all eight on board. The plane was returning to the airport, where it had just been repaired, due to engine problems.[41]
  • On 30 June 2023, 43-year-old Tajikistani national Rustam Ashurov, who was wanted for criminal charges in his home country[42] and had been refused entry to Moldova from Turkey, snatched a gun from a border police officer and opened fire, killing a border guard and an airport security official, and injuring another person. The gunman was wounded and arrested.[43] He died in hospital three days later.[44]

See also

References
  1. "EAD Basic - Error Page". Retrieved 3 June 2015.
  2. Statistică şi indicatori at caa.md
  3. "Air Moldova prodloužila přerušení letů až do poloviny července | Airways.cz".
  4. "Air Moldova unlikely to restart - CAA".
  5. Airline companies in Rumania (1918–1945)
  6. Chișinău International Airport at azworldairports.com
  7. "Chisinau Airport". Chisinau Airport. Retrieved 2022-03-11.
  8. "Chisinau Airport".
  9. "Wizz Air suspendă zborurile spre și dinspre Chișinău din 14 martie 2023". 27 February 2023.
  10. "VIDEO Când va opera Ryanair zboruri din Chișinău? Igor Grosu a dezvăluit principalul obstacol". 16 March 2023.
  11. About Chisinau International Airport Archived 2009-07-07 at the Wayback Machine at booking.md
  12. "Error 404". Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 3 June 2015.
  13. "All Press Releases". 16 March 2015. Archived from the original on 8 January 2014. Retrieved 3 June 2015.
  14. "LIVE! Evenimentul de deschidere oficială a noii piste de aterizare/decolare a Aeroportului Chişinău". Realitatea Live!. Retrieved 4 February 2019.
  15. "Rută nouă: Chișinău – Atena cu Aegean Airlines din noiembrie 2023".
  16. "New Route: Chisinau - Riga with AirBaltic from May 2024".
  17. Gasimov, Kamran (9 August 2023). "Azerbaijan's AZAL starts direct flights from Baku to capital of Moldova". Trend.Az. Retrieved 9 August 2023.
  18. "FLYONE NS23 CHISINAU NETWORK ADDITIONS – 07MAR23".
  19. "FLYONE NS23 CHISINAU NETWORK ADDITIONS – 11MAY23".
  20. "FLYONE anunță trei rute noi de la Chișinău pentru vara anului 2023". 14 May 2023.
  21. "Fly One 2H23 London Service Additions".
  22. "FLYONE | Cheap flights from Chisinau and Yerevan".
  23. https://flyone.eu/en/
  24. "Flight Schedules and Airline Availability". tez-tour.com.
  25. "Hisky Schedules Barcelona / Bologna Service in NS23".
  26. "Rută nouă: București - Chișinău cu HiSky din septembrie 2023". 13 July 2023.
  27. "Noutăți excelente de la HiSky. Compania aeriană LANSEAZĂ alte trei rute noi cu plecarea din Chișinău".
  28. "HiSky".
  29. "HiSky va zbura din aprilie 2023 din Chișinău spre Roma". 2 March 2023.
  30. "Israir Schedules Chisinau Service in NW23". AeroRoutes. 8 August 2023. Retrieved 9 August 2023.
  31. "Trei companii aeriene de peste hotare lansează curse directe spre și dinspre Chișinău. Care sunt DESTINAȚIILE". www.ziarulnational.md. 9 August 2023. Retrieved 9 August 2023.
  32. "Cum se explică creșterea cu 65% a numărului de pasageri de la Aeroportul Chișinău în primele șase luni ale anului 2023". radiochisinau.md (in Romanian). 10 July 2023.
  33. European Airport Traffic Trends at anna.aero
  34. "Anker-report.com EATS-European Airport Traffic Statistics". The Anker Report.
  35. In 2013 Chisinau International Airport carried a record number of passengers Archived 2016-06-25 at the Wayback Machine at airport.md
  36. Top routes from KIV
  37. "Contacts Archived 2012-03-25 at the Wayback Machine." Civil Aviation Authority. Retrieved on 4 November 2011. "Postal address: Republica Moldova, Chisinau, Aeroport, MD-2026"
  38. "Loading". rtec.md. Retrieved 2022-09-04.
  39. "Loading". rtec.md. Retrieved 2022-09-04.
  40. "ASN Aircraft accident Antonov An-10A CCCP-11149 Chisinau Airport (KIV)". aviation-safety.net. Retrieved 2023-07-13.
  41. Popeski, Ron (12 April 2008). "Cargo plane crashes after takeoff from Moldova", Reuters
  42. "Two killed in Moldova airport shooting, gunman arrested". Aljazeera. 1 July 2023.
  43. "Moldova attack: Two dead as man opens fire inside Chisinau airport". BBC. 30 June 2023.
  44. Михалкина, Алина (2023-07-03). "Стрелок из Кишиневского аэропорта скончался в больнице". NewsMaker (in Russian). Retrieved 2023-07-03.

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