Chișinău Airport Returns to State Control Amid New Auction Plans
Chișinău International Airport has been added to the list of assets that cannot be privatised.
The law stipulating this and the president's promulgation decree were published on Friday, May 24, in the Official Gazette.
Thus, the Public Property Agency (APP), as the founder, will be able to address issues arising in organising auctions for selecting commercial spaces intended for public catering and trade in the sterile area of Chișinău International Airport.
Additionally, the document includes measures for the implementation of international sanctions.
The Information and Security Service will receive additional powers and, together with the Service for the Prevention and Combating of Money Laundering, will develop a list of legal entities controlled by subjects of restrictions or that have ultimate beneficiaries who are subjects of restrictions. Starting from Friday, authorities and public institutions have a month to issue the necessary acts for implementing the new provisions and to harmonise their regulations with them.
Previously, PAS deputy Radu Marian stated in a press briefing that "this change will ensure that the institution remains state-owned and will correct an injustice committed during previous governments."
The executive director of the Analytic Center "Economica," Marin Gospodarenco, told Radio Moldova that state management of the airport ensures that airport services benefit the public and the national economy.
Chișinău International Airport was concessioned in 2013, when it became the property of the company Avia Invest, controlled by Ilan Shor. The concession contract, set for 49 years, required the company to invest over 240 million euros. From March 28, the airport is no longer managed by the company "Avia Invest," but has passed into state management, and the process of taking over the assets has begun.
On April 3, 2023, the head of state, Maia Sandu, stated that Chișinău Airport is, once again, the citizens', mentioning that due to schemes from 2013, the state lost revenues worth 1.6 billion lei.
In January 2024, the Public Property Agency announced that, in conjunction with Chișinău International Airport, it had initiated the process of starting the auction for leasing unused assets from Chișinău Airport, intended for Travel Retail & Food and Beverage activities, known as: Sterile Area and Duty-Free Area.
After a few weeks, the first auction at the airport was cancelled because only two companies participated: LeBridge and Lagardere, which did not ensure sufficient competition. At the beginning of March, the authorities announced a new auction, and on March 25, one of the two companies vying for the lease of commercial spaces at Chișinău International Airport announced that it had reconsidered and would no longer participate in the repeated auction.
The deadline for submitting bids for participation in the auction ended on April 15. Subsequently, on April 17, AIC representatives announced that the auction regarding the rental of commercial spaces at Chișinău Airport was stopped again because the company Lagardere Travel Retail, the only one that submitted a bid, did not present "all the justificatory documents to qualify for the final stage."
On May 3, APP announced that the airport auction will be relaunched, and the participation conditions will be adjusted. Additionally, modifications will be made to the tender book.
82 percent of Moldovans believe that Chișinău Airport should remain in state possession, and only 11 percent think it should be concessioned. These are the results of an opinion poll conducted by IMAS in February of this year.
Translation by Iurie Tataru
