September 5 (SeeNews) - Moldova’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) said that it has suspended the air operator’s licence of troubled flag carrier Air Moldova over the lack of a valid airworthiness certificate of the sole airplane remaining under the company's management.
The suspension came at the airline's request and will be remain in place until October 31, the CAA said in a press release last month. Air Moldova is currently undergoing a process of restructuring and has not operated flights for several months.
"The only aircraft that is still under the management of Air Moldova is undergoing maintenance but the works that were planned for the month of April have not been completed to date. The airworthiness certificate of the aircraft expired on August 21, and in the absence of a valid airworthiness certificate [...] the airline cannot hold an air operator's certificate," CAA said.
The regulator also urged passengers affected by the cancellation of all Air Moldova flights to claim their rights and request the air operator to reimburse the cost of tickets.
Since November 2022, CAA has criticised Air Moldova for having major financial problems discovered during earlier investigations and demanded that the company develop a corrective action plan.