Auction failure at Chișinău Airport raises concerns
A new auction held at Chișinău International Airport (AIC) has failed after only one company registered to rent commercial spaces intended for public catering and specialised trade in the airport's sterile area.
According to a statement from AIC, the bidding committee convened today, October 21, and noted the lack of competition, as only one participant entered the auction for lots 1 and 2, leading to the cancellation of the process.
It is important to note that on October 19, the period for submitting applications to participate in the public auction aimed at selecting a tenant for the Duty Free spaces within the airport had concluded. At that time, representatives of AIC informed the press that, once again, the only company that expressed interest and submitted the required documents was Lagardere, a French company.
When contacted for a comment, AIC spokesperson Natalia Cojocaru declined to provide a name but indicated that airport representatives would offer additional information in the near future.
The authorities announced a public auction for the commercial spaces at the airport for the first time in January 2024. Since then, several auctions have been cancelled because only one company entered the bidding: Lagardere. In the case of the first auction, two companies participated: Le Bridge and Lagardere. However, the Public Property Agency stated that "sufficient competition was not ensured" at that time.
Prime Minister Dorin Recean and Minister of Infrastructure Andrei Spînu previously indicated that the auctions at the airport had failed due to "sabotage" orchestrated by the "Şor criminal group." In response, deputies made amendments to the legislation, resulting in Chișinău International Airport being included in the list of assets that cannot be privatised. The law stipulating this and the promulgation decree by President Maia Sandu were published on May 24 in the Official Gazette, thus becoming law.
The authorities stated that the Public Property Agency, as the founder, would be able to resolve the issues that arose in organising the auctions for selecting commercial spaces intended for public catering and trade in the sterile area of Chișinău International Airport.
It is noteworthy that Chișinău International Airport was concessioned in 2013, when it became the property of the company Avia Invest, controlled by Ilan Șor. The concession contract, established for a period of 49 years, obligated the company to invest over 240 million euros. Since March 28, 2023, the airport has no longer been managed by Avia Invest but has passed into state management. In April 2023, President Maia Sandu stated that Chișinău Airport is once again the property of the citizens, mentioning that as a result of the schemes from 2013, the state lost revenues amounting to 1.6 billion lei.
Translation by Iurie Tataru
