Moldova Promises Action as EU Bans 11 Airlines

An airplane landing on the International Airport of Chisinau, Moldova, 27 September 2016. Photo: EPA/Doru Dumitru

The Moldovan Civil Aviation Authority, ACC, says it conducted a major review of flight companies in the country between November 2018 to March this year, after 11 of the 14 were banned from operating in the EU or put under monitoring. Only three companies are allowed to operate flights into EU airspace.

The ACC made the statement after the European Commission on Thursday released an updated list of airlines that do not meet international safety standards.

Many companies operating in EU airspace were banned or received operational restrictions within the European Union. "Maintaining the highest level of safety in European skies is our priority. The EU Air Safety List remains one of our most effective tools to achieve this," EU Transport Commissioner Violeta Bulc said.

In Moldova, Air Moldova and Fly One, which handle passenger flights, as well as Aerotranscargo, which provides cargo transport, meet national and international standards.

Air Moldova is the biggest passenger transportation company in Moldova. It was privatised in October 2018. Fly One is the newest low-cost private company, based in Chisinau, the capital.

The Civil Aviation Authority said it had banned flights into EU airspace by the other 11 airlines on April 11.

"As far as the rest of the air companies [which were banned or put under monitoring] are concerned, they are under continuous surveillance from the AAC to ensure that all the certification conditions are met," the spokesman for the ACC, Irina Bodolica, told BIRN.

One banned company is Valan International Cargo Charter. Planes and helicopters of this company were implicated in crashes...