The present airport of Chisinau has been functioning since 1960, the year it was built. The first airport situated in Riscani region, its landing strip running along the present Moscow Avenue.

The airport works in twenty-four-hour shift and is classified as international, performing frontier customs control, providing air security and air survival equipment. The airport is situated on the southeastern outskirts of Chisinau, which is approximately 15 km from the center of the capital. There are many convenient ways to reach it both from the city and regions.

The new airport building was constructed in 1974, designed by "Lenaeroproiect" organization. The airport is equipped with everything necessary for landing of the airplanes from both neighboring and foreign countries. The total territory of the air terminal is 10 080 sq. m. Since the customer service requirements had grown up by the end of the 20th century, the British company "Halcrow" launched up a modernization project of the air terminal. The Turkish company "Akfen-Summa" JV reconstructed the airport in 1998-1999. (The company won the tender for the construction work). The project was assigned 12 million dollars. The present project is financed both by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development ($9 million development credit) and the Government of the Republic of Moldova ($3 million). At the moment, the air terminal's serving capacity is 425 passengers per hour.

Taking into account the climatic conditions of our region, the air terminal is equipped with the effective ventilation system and modern conditioning system. This lets passengers feel comfortable in summer when waiting for their plane. The display systems situated all over the air terminal allow accessing all necessary information about the flights. The terminal building comprises different bank branches, exchange banks, the post office, the telegraph office, restaurants, Duty Free shops, cafe-bars, tourist agencies, passenger rest areas and other services.

Besides the basic building there is a special hall for formal receptions. In 1996 the VIP hall was put into operation. The new artificial landing strip coat, meeting the world standard requirements to the strip coats of this level, has been used since 1987. The coating is duplex - it consists of ferro-cement. The length of the landing strip is 3590 m, its width - 45 m and it is East-West directed. There are nine asphalt-concrete steering runways leading to the landing strip. The landing strips are equipped with high intensity lights system, of "Svecha" type, and modern technical equipment for landing, steering and takeoff under conditions of low visibility both in the day and night time. The main airport equipment, consisting of air terminal building, steering strips and airplanes parking platforms lie to the north of the airfield. This lets serve all kinds of airplanes, their passengers, freight and airmail. The Service of combustive-lubricating materials has reservoirs with the volume of 7 000 m3.

At the moment, there are 17 airlines which offer the flights from the airport of Chisinau to more than 18 countries of Europe and Asia and transit flights to other countries. This includes all Moldovan airlines - regular Air Moldova, Air Moldova International, Moldavian Airlines, charter Moldtransavia, Vichi, aerotaxi - TEPAvia-Trans, cargo flights - Renan, Tiramavia, Aerocom, Valan etc. The foreign companies offering regular flights in Chisinau are Austrian Tyrolean Airways, Russian Transaero, Turkish Airlines, Ukranian ICAR and Tavria, Romanian Tarom and Carpatair. Yet there are many foreign companies taking advantage of the Chisinau Airport services (charter and cargo flights). The airport gives landing to the planes of the following models: airliners - Boeing-737, BAe-146, IAC-42, IAC -40, Tu-134, Tu-154, SAAB-340, ATR-42, An -24, Canadair RegionalJet; air-freighters - Il-76, Il -18, An-12, An -26, An -72; planes and helicopters for business flights and other general flights. The airport has everything for receiving bigger types of planes. Il-96, Airbus A-310 and other modern airbuses used to land in the airport.

The favorable geographical situation, the fact that it is close to the maritime port of Odessa and large-scale railway junctions and motorways proves to be a good prerequisite for building a transit regional European airport.

By 2010 the building of modernized air terminal will have been supplied with new equipment for serving the passengers, luggage, mail and cargo processing. The forecasts say that in 10 years the passengers flow will grow up to 635 thousand passengers per year. When the modernization and reconstruction of the air terminal building is completed, the projects of improving the platforms next to the airport building, landing strips, lighting system, airplanes parking and steering runways are planned to be launched.

In the field of air navigation the preference is given to the integration of Moldovan air space with the European one by implementing Eurocontrol Standards. In order to reach this objective, SE "MoldATSA" modernized its air navigation means, including control tower. The new radar system for air traffic management and control went into power on the territory of the Republic of Moldova.