Romania's Civil Aviation Group, led by Blue Air and two Moldavian investors, purchased Air Moldova for US$70.5 million, according to Moldova's Public Property Agency.
The majority of the purchase price was from the assumed debt of Air Moldova, with $3 million transferred to the Moldavian government. An additional $4.0 million will be committed by the Group to the airline by 2023 for training.
The new ownership plans to maintain the current flight schedule of Air Moldova along with its national carrier status, with the priorities to regain customers' trust and to improve business performance.
Air Moldova will launch seven new routes by the end of 2019 and four new routes in 2020, according to the new business plan. Later in 2021, flights to the US, Canada and China are being planned, among other network changes. The move is part of an initiative to turn Chisinau Airport into an international hub.
By 2021, Air Moldova aims to operate 14 aircraft, mostly A320, A319 and E190 aircraft.