History
On June 1, 1922, the first aircraft (de Havilland DH.9) started on a 410 kilometres (250 mi) long line: Bucharest – Galaţi – Chişinău.
The first scheduled flights to Chişinău started on 24 June 1926, on the route Bucharest – Galaţi – Chişinău and Bălţi. [1] The flights were operated by Compagnie Franco-Roumaine de Navigation Aérienne - CFRNA, later LARES. [2] The airport was near Chişinău, at Bulgarica-Ialoveni. This first flight Chişinău-Bucharest was marked by the launch of a postal stamps. At the Chişinău International Airport, at the visitors terrace in the second floor (opened in December 2006), there is a sign remembering the first flight on June 24, 1926.
A 10-passenger Armstrong Siddeley Jaguar-powered Farman F.168Bn4 started in May 1928 to operate the domestic air service Bucharest – Galaţi – Chişinău-Bălţi. In that years, planes were used for passenger, newspapers and mail.
In 1936, Nadia Russo (1901–1988), from Chişinău, was one of the first women from Romania to obtain a flying licence. In 1937, she bought her Bücker Bü 131, half of price was paid by the Romanian Ministry of Air and the other half by public subscription in Chişinău. Nadia Russo returned to Bălţi with White Squadron in 1941. [3]
In 1937 there was an air service Bucharest - Cetatea Albă - Chişinău - Bălţi.
On June 28, 1938, in Chişinău was held an air rally.
During the year 1940, LARES operated daily the route Bălţi - Chişinău - Iaşi - Galaţi - Bucharest (the air service number 2116).
In the interwar period, among the pilots serving on flights from Chişinău to Bucharest was Constantin Bâzu Cantacuzino. Nadia Russo flew with the White Squadron to Bălţi.
During the Second World War, Bălţi became the centre of aeronautic activity in Bessarabia with five different runways in and around the city of Bălţi with most prominent pilots battling over Bălţi coming from Jagdgeschwader 77 and 55th Fight Regiment, most notably Alexander Pokryshkin [4] and Reinhard Heydrich. [5] While Pokryshkin became one of the highest scoring Soviet aces, Heydrich was an unexperienced pilot who never achieved an aerial victory. [6]
Moldavian branch of Aeroflot
On 19 September 1944, the first unit of Po-2 transport aircraft arrived in Chişinău and the Moldovan Squadron of Aeroflot was established. Aside from fifteen aircraft of the Po-2 type operating domestic flights and serving in agriculture, there were also two Li-2, which were used on flights to Moscow, some Ukrainian cities and to Black Sea and Caucasus summer resorts.
In 1958, the Civil Aviation Squadron of Bălți (Бельцкая АЭ - Авиационная Эскадрилья) was formed in addition to the Moldaivan Special Aviation Group of the Civil Air Fleet (Молдавская ОАГ ГВФ - Особая Авиационная Группа Гражданского Воздушного Флота) [7]
Intra-Soviet flights were operated from Chisinau and from Balti. A new building of passenger terminal at Bălți City Airport was constructed in 1954. A new airport in Chişinău able to accommodate gas turbine aircraft opened early in the 1960s, while Balti served as a regional airport for intra-Moldovan and intra-Soviet flights and for agricultural use.
The enterprise received status of Civil Aviation Administration in 1965 and new An-10, An-12, and An-24 aircraft expanded its fleet both in Chisinau and in Balti.
Since 1966, there are two independent Flight Units in Moldova: Chisianu Flight Unit No 253 and Balti Flight Unit No 281, both subordinated to the Directorate for Civil Aviation of the Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic.
Regular flights to many cities in the USSR were begun and the transportation of fruits and vegetables grown in Moldovan SSR to the largest industrial centers of the USSR was established.
The first jet aircraft, a Tu-134, began service in Moldova in 1971 and became the main aircraft of the enterprise, increasing in number until at one point 26 of them were in use. In Chişinău there was even a USSR test basis for aircraft of this type. The fleet was further enlarged in 1972 with the Yak-42 regional aircraft and in 1974 with the An-26 cargo aircraft. In the middle of the 1980s, Moldovan operations received ten Tu-154 aircraft. At the same time started the construction of a new runway for a new location of Bălți International Airport. At that time Moldovan aircraft flew to 73 cities in the USSR and carried over 1,000,000 passengers per year from Chisinau whereas 20 Soviet cities were connected with direct flights from Bălţi. In 1990 the first international route between Chişinău and Frankfurt am Main was opened. In the beginning of 90's international routes from Bălţi included Istanbul, Moscow, Sochi and Frankfurt, but since 1994 most regular fights from Bălţi were ceased due to the informal directive not to operate international airports around 150 km of Chisinau. Passenger and cargo charter fights continued to be operated from Bălţi until 2015, when the operational certificate for Bălţi International Airport was withdrawn by Civil Aviation Administration.
The most important accident in Chisinau was the 1979 Ukraine Aeroflot mid-air collision. The new runway built in 1987 at Bălți International Airport is located at the highest altitude (231m ASL) as compared to most surrounding airports in Moldova, as well as in Romania and Ukraine.
Air Moldova
Air Moldova was established after the independence of Moldova and started operations in 1992 on the basis of the local Aeroflot unit. It is wholly owned by the Republic of Moldova and on 13 July 2004, Air Moldova became an IATA member.
Moldaeroservice
Moldaeroservice was established in 1966 and became largest state owned aviation enterprise in Moldova, employing 500 persons, being operator of two airports Bălți City Airport and Bălți International Airport, airfields in Bender and Soroca and airline with a branch in Chișinău, airline operating ambulance flights, regional transport, agricultural and police border flights.
