Wizz Air to suspend Moldova flights, citing security

Due to security concerns related to escalating tensions with Russia, Wizz Air, a low-cost airline based in Hungary, stated on Monday that it will stop operating all flights to and from Moldova.

“Due to recent developments and the high, though not imminent, risk in the country’s airspace, Wizz Air has taken the difficult but responsible decision to suspend all its flights to Chisinau as of March 14,” the group said in a statement.

Wizz Air continued it would lay on extra flights from the Romanian city of Iasi as replacements, including a new service to Berlin and more flights to Barcelona, Milan Bergamo, Bologna, Rome Ciampino, Rome Fiumicino, Dortumand, Larnaca, London Luton and Treviso.

“After analyzing 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,” a post on the Moldovan government’s official Telegram channel said.

Since Russia began its offensive in Ukraine a year ago, Moldova, a pro-European nation of 2.6 million people situated between Romania and Ukraine, has feared that Moscow may choose it as the next target. The EU-candidate country has also reported recent “attempts at destabilization.”

East of Moldova, pro-Moscow forces rule Transnistria, a narrow strip of land that is home to many Russian speakers. Transnistria is internationally recognized as a part of Moldova, but the Moldovan capital, Chisinau, essentially has no control over the territory. Additionally, roughly 2,000 Russian soldiers are stationed there, despite the fact that Moscow guaranteed a withdrawal of its troops from the area.

Nicu Popescu, the foreign minister of Moldova, said on Wednesday that his country was ready for a “full spectrum of threats” amid concerns that Moscow may step up its efforts to undermine the nation, which is still recovering from the conflict in neighboring Ukraine.