Wizz Air is Suspending Moldovan Flights

Wizz Air, an ultra-low cost carrier (ULCC), has announced it will cancel all flights to Chisinau next month due to safety concerns.

According to reports, the carrier added flights to Romania in an attempt to replace those flights that were suspended. An earlier in the month, a Russian missile was fired over Moldovan airspace.

Safety for crew and passengers

According to Reuters Wizz Air stated in a statement that it was difficult but responsible to suspend flights.

"Safety of the passengers and crew remain Wizz Air's number one priority and following the recent developments in Moldova and the elevated, but not imminent, risk in the country's airspace, Wizz Air has made the difficult but responsible decision to suspend all flights to Chisinau from the 14th of March."

The civil aviation authority of Moldova criticized Wizz Air for its decision and called it regrettable.

"After analysing the risks, government agencies have determined that flights in the national airspace can be carried out safely by following a number of procedures, and they regret Wizz Air's sudden decision," the Moldovan government's official Telegram channel said.

According to the government, the civil aviation authority as well as the ministry of infrastructure development and regional development have been working in close cooperation with WizzAir representatives and have informed them about the procedures currently in place to ensure that aviation security is maintained in the country.

The authority had earlier this month approved the airline's summer flight schedule. It continued to confirm that national airspace was safe for the airline. It was also stated that Wizz Air would return to Chisinau airport within the shortest time possible. The authority was open to the possibility of other low-cost airlines being attracted to the airport.

According to Reuters, Wizz Air has confirmed that it has added flights from Iasi, Romania as replacements. This includes a new service to Berlin and additional flights to Barcelona, Milan Bergamo and Bologna. The airline will not take over flights to Budapest or Prague. The airline will transfer inbound flights from Chisinau to other destinations within its network.

BBC News reports that Moldova is one the poorest countries in Europe and has been exposed to the conflict in Ukraine. Nicu Popescu, Moldova's Foreign Minister, stated last week that the country was ready for all kinds of threats as Russia attempts to destabilize the country, which is still reeling from the conflict in Ukraine.

As Russian missiles aimed at Ukraine enter Moldovan airspace, tensions have increased between Russia and Moldova in recent months. Authorities have accused the Kremlin of fueling anti-government protests. However, Reuters reports that it denies this accusation. According to Volodymyr Zelensky, the Ukrainian president, a secret service of intelligence in Kyiv discovered a plan to devastate Moldova earlier this month.

According to reports, Moldova, which lies between Ukraine and Romania, became a candidate last summer for EU membership.

Source: simpleflying.com