Air Moldova faces backlash over flight cancellations
The Civil Aviation Authority of Moldova (CAA) has received over 400 complaints from passengers whose flights have been cancelled since the beginning of the year. The majority of the complaints are directed at the national airline, Air Moldova.
CAA spokesperson Irina Bodolica told Radio Moldova that the authority has received 409 complaints from January 1 to August 23. Of those, 216 have been received since the beginning of the summer.
"The CAA has received 409 complaints from the beginning of the year, of which 283 were for Air Moldova," Bodolica said. "We do not have statistical data on the exact number of citizens, as some complaints include groups of 10 people. Of the total number of complaints - 409, 290 have been resolved, and 119 are still under consideration. More than 70% of the complaints have been resolved in favour of the passengers."
Bodolica said that in 87 cases, involving 155 passengers of Air Moldova, who were affected by cancellations or delays, the CAA ordered the carrier to pay compensation ranging from 250 to 400 euros. The total amount is over one million euros.
The State Inspectorate for the Supervision of Non-Food Products and Consumer Protection has also received over 40 complaints from people affected by Air Moldova flight cancellations.
"The State Inspectorate for the Supervision of Non-Food Products and Consumer Protection has received over 250 calls, where consumers have been informed how to proceed and where to turn to if their flight is cancelled, delayed, or their travel package is not properly provided," Bodolica said. "Of the total of 40 complaints, 20 were received during the summer."
Economy and Digitalization Minister Dumitru Alaiba today called on Air Moldova to immediately return the money to people who have paid for tickets to flights that did not take place.
The CAA announced yesterday that it has suspended Air Moldova's Air Operator Certificate until October 31, 2023.
