Sandu: 1.6 Billion Lei Lost during 9 Years of Airport Concession

President Maia Sandu held a briefing on the situation at Chisinau International Airport which came back under state control. “In 2013, through fraudulent transactions, Shor took the airport into concession. During these nine years we lost 1.6 billion lei. We were able to mobilize, struggled hard, went through the courts. Today justice has been served, and the airport belongs to citizens again. I ask public institutions to reconsider the 9-euro fee for passengers and to ensure optimal operation of the airport so as to have more routes to more destinations. Justice must ensure that all those involved in this theft are punished,” Sandu said, bani.md writes. The Chisinau International Airport, taken under concession by Avia Invest, came back under state control on November 23, 2022 by decision of the Chisinau Court of Appeals. Avia Invest, owned by Ilan Shor, conceded the international airport for 49 years, but the state sued the company and demanded that the concession contract be terminated. In response, Avia Invest filed a lawsuit against Moldova in the Stockholm arbitration court. The company accused the Chisinau authorities in putting pressure and demands compensation of 855 million euros. No decision has been made so far.