Moldova’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has reopened its airspace following a brief pause over safety concerns. The aviation body confirmed that it had issued a NOTAM on Tuesday morning amid reports of a weather balloon-like object near Soroca, which remained in effect until 14:46 EET.
Safety concerns
In a statement posted Tuesday evening, the CAA clarified the situation, confirming that it had chosen to temporarily close its airspace on Tuesday afternoon after an unidentified object “similar to a weather balloon” was detected in the airspace near the Ukranian-border city of Soroca.
“Considering the weather conditions and the impossibility of monitoring and identifying the object as well as its flight path, in order to ensure the safety and security of citizens, within the Interdepartmental Commission for Airspace Management, at 13:24 the decision was taken to temporarily close air space. After verifying the information and ensuring the absence of any danger to the safety of citizens, at the proposal of the Ministry of Defense, at 14:46 the airspace was reopened.”
The Moldovan CAA continued, noting that flight operations are currently being carried out under “safe and secure conditions.”
It is unclear if the event is related to a similar one reported in Romania on Tuesday afternoon. Two Romanian Air Force MiG-21s were scrambled to intercept a suspicious object resembling a weather balloon in the southeast of the country. Despite circling the area for half an hour, the flight crew was unable to get visual or radar confirmation of the object before returning to base. Romania’s Ministry of National Defence did not indicate if both sightings were linked in a subsequent statement.
Airspace disputes
Flag carrier Air Moldova was the first to confirm the airspace closure, reaching out to its customers via Facebook to warn of potential disruption. The airline posted an update later in the afternoon, noting that its Paris (BVA) and Lisbon (LIS) services are unaffected. However, today’s flight to Istanbul (IST) has been rescheduled for Wednesday.
The CAA did not initially disclose the reason for the airspace closure, leading to speculation amid heightened tensions between Chișinău and Moscow.
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On February 10, Moldova’s government claimed that two Russian Kalibr cruise missiles bound for targets in Ukraine passed through Moldovan airspace, igniting a diplomatic row over the violation. Neighboring Romania has also found itself on the edge of the dispute, with both missiles avoiding its airspace by just 22 miles.
Moldova previously halted civilian air traffic for several weeks following the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022. Some airlines, including Wizz Air, briefly altered their Chișinău (KIV) operations, choosing to schedule flights in and out of nearby Iași International Airport (IAS) in Romania during the period.
Despite reopening its airspace on March 21, 2022, several warnings remain in place with NAV Canada, AIC France, and the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) due to the risk of spillover from the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian war.
What are your thoughts on Moldova’s airspace closure? Was your flight impacted by the delay? Let us know in the comments.
Sources: Reuters (1) (2), Ziarul de Garda