Moldova To Sell Flag Carrier Airline

The decision needs to be confirmed by two more votes in the chamber to take effect.

"It's necessary to attract private investments in the development of the country's air transport sector, as the state doesn't have enough funds for it," MP Anatolie Zagorodnii told the parliament session.

He noted that air carriers in most European countries are private and tight competition on the market forces them to continuously invest in the upgrade of their fleet.

Air Moldova, fully-owned by the government, is the leading carrier in the county with more than 50% share of the total passenger traffic. The company operates 16 scheduled international flights.

Air Moldova operates two Airbus A320, two Embraer 120, one Yakovlev-40 and one Tu-134 aircraft. However, it owns only an Embraer 120 and a Tu-134 and operates the others under lease.

Moldova, four million, has three air carriers.