Balti-Lyadoveni (airport)

The Balti-Lyadoveni international airport is located in the north-west of the former Balti district, not far from the village of Korleten (formerly called the village of Lyadoveni) in the Ryshkansky district . The airport has one runway 2240 meters long and 42 meters wide. The second Beltsy-Gorod airport is regional and is located in the city of Beltsy, not far from the city center in the western part of the city, previously used for emergency services, agriculture and regional transport.

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The existing runway of the Balti-Lyadovena airport is the last and youngest runway built in the Republic of Moldova. The geographical location was chosen according to the latest standards of time in the field of air navigation and has the same magnetic course (north 15, south 33) as many international airports in the world (1) Chicago O'Hare International Airport 2) Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport 3) National Ronald Reagan Airport (Washington, DC) 4) Aspen-Pitkin County Airport (Aspen, CO) 5) Belfast Municipal Airport 6) Helsinki International Airport 7) Warsaw International Airport (Chopin Okecie) 8) Baltimore Washington International Airport 9) New Ulm Municipal Airport (Minnesota) 10) Shuttle Landing Facility (Merritt Island in Brevard County, Florida, USA, part of the John F. Kennedy Space Center (KSC), and was used by NASA's Space Shuttle landings) [1] 11) Sumburgh Airport ( Island) 12) Kuala Lumpur International Airport 13) C hennault International Airport (Lake Charles, Louisiana) 14) Maribor Edvard Rusjan Airport (Slovenia) 15) Iasi International Airport 16) EuroAirport (Basel - CH, Mulhouse - FR, Freiburg - DE).

The ability to operate in any weather conditions allows the height of the runway of the Balti-Lyadovena airport on a hill of 231 meters and lowlands around 100 meters, which contributes to the absence of conditions for stable fog, taking into account the wind rose around the hill on which the runway is located with lowlands around. Meteorological observations have confirmed that while the runways of nearby airports and aerodromes ( Chisinau , Iasi , Bucharest, Marculesti, Odessa and Kiev) may be closed for operation or there is low visibility , the runway of the Balti-Lyadovena airport remains operated with greater visibility both horizontal and vertical. ^[2]

Balti-Lyadoveni comes from the name of the former village of Lyadoveni , in which the villages of Singureni and Korleten were combined. After Moldova gained independence in 1991, the villages were again divided and returned to their previous names. Balti-Lyadovena Airport is located today in the village of Corlaten. During World War II, IAP 55 from Kirovograd and IAP 16 were deployed in the territory of the village of Singureni with jump airports in Semenovka, Boduresti and Pyrlitsa. ^{[3] [4]} Also during World War II, Kampfgeschwader 27 ^[5] and Kampfgeschwader 51 ^[6] from Landsberg am Lech formed from Kampfgeschwader 255 ^[7] were deployed at the airport in Singureni.

The name of the village of Lyadoveny in Soviet times was given in honor of the pilot Grigory Lyadov ^[8] , who, during the crash of the plane, took the falling plane from the houses in the villages of Singuren and Korlethen. At the place of his death, a monument was erected in Singureni.

The first regular passenger flights to Balti as part of Royal Romania began on June 24, 1926 along the route Bucharest - Galati - Chisinau - Balti - Khotin - Chernivtsi . The flights were operated by Compagnie Franco-Roumaine de Navigation Aérienne - CFRNA, later named LARES and today TAROM . ^[9]

The various locations of the five historic runways in and around Balti have resulted in airport facilities being periodically built in various parts of Balti and its environs.

The construction of the runway in a new location near the village of Lyadoveni (as it was called in 1987, and then divided into Korletens and Singurens (Korletens, the corresponding plots of land occupied by the airport today), on the outskirts of Balti, 8 km from its northern regions, began in 80 By order of the USSR Marshal Sergey Akhromeev , the construction of the airport infrastructure (including passenger and cargo terminals, a hotel, a control center, an air navigation and control tower, the expansion of the trolleybus line from Balti to Balti-Lyadovena airport was left Leno to local authorities. ^{[10] [11] [12]}

The choice of the place of the runway was made carefully taking into account the advanced technical and engineering means, the peculiarities of the direction of the wind rose and the lack of stable fog on the current runway at the Balti International Airport. Unlike other airports in Moldova, such as Romania and Ukraine, Balti International Airport can operate in any weather conditions. Balti International Airport is located at an altitude of 231 meters, with surrounding hills up to 100 meters. ^[13]

The first technical flight at the new Balti airport was carried out on December 28, 1987 on an An-24 aircraft by representatives of the Testing Commission of the Aviation Administration of Moldova. On October 31, 1989, the authorities established the compliance of the brightest aviation signals installed at the Balti-Lyadovena airport. On February 22, 1990, the State Research Institute of Civil Aviation “Aeroproject” ^[14] confirmed the classification of runway cover and indicated the aircraft that can be operated at Balti-Lyadovena airport without restrictions: IL-18 , An-12 Yak-42 , Tu- 134 . On June 8, 1990, Balti-Lyadovena airport was certified, confirming that Tu-134, An-24, Yak-40 and other types of categories III and IV can be freely operated at Balti-Lyadovena airport, as well as any kind of helicopters. On May 31, 1994, Aeroproject also confirmed operational capabilities at Balti-Lyadovena Airport for Tu-154 (one aircraft per day) and Il-76T (50 aircraft per year weighing 160 tons / 352,739.6 pounds).

After the official opening in the late 1980s, the Balti-Lyadovena airport had both its own fleet of Moldovan state service Moldavian services and the former Moldovan branch of the Soviet Aeroflot from Chisinau. At that time, this airport, which became the Balti-Leadovena International Airport, became the most important airport in northern Moldova with approximately 20 weekly international flights / destinations. After gaining Moldovan independence in 1991, the airport was used by Air Moldova , the successor to the company of other Soviet aircraft, Aeroflot .

In accordance with previous plans, it was planned to build two terminals, one for passengers and one for cargo, and a control tower for air navigation control. Before the collapse of the USSR, the airport was connected by direct flights with almost 20 destinations in the former Soviet Union, including Moscow, St. Petersburg, Kiev, Simferopol and Sochi.

Some attempts were made to reanimate the airport with the help of “urgent” recommendations for Air Moldova to depart from this airport. Since 1992, there have been attempts to organize regular flights from Balti to Moscow, but they were canceled for economic reasons, without explaining these economic reasons, in the report of Radu Bezniuk ^[15] . According to Ziarul de Gardă , “the ex-CEO of Air Moldova, Dorin Timciuc, along with his subordinates, the finance director Radu Bezniuc and the head of the finance department, Alexandru Crigan, were suspected of (Article 195, paragraph 2), a crime even more serious than the charge of Pasat , providing for imprisonment of up to 25 years. These three are criminally prosecuted for increasing the price of air tickets for Air Moldova routes and combined routes. ” ^[16]

The airport was built in the 80s of the XX century and at that time corresponded to the main Soviet standards and was actively used by Aeroflot airline. There were, but never were, implemented projects for the construction of a modern airport terminal, hotel complex, a housing camp for civil aviation workers, and laying a trolleybus line from Balti to the airport.

Such aircraft as An-24 , An-26 , Yak-42 , Tu-134 , as well as Tu-154 and Il-76 can land at the airport. At the end of the 80s, the Balti-Lyadoveni airport was an important transport hub in the north of Moldova, from here about 20 regular passenger flights were operated (Moscow, Kiev, Simferopol, Sochi, etc.). A number of regular flights of local importance were also carried out on An-2 aircraft for communication with the regions of Moldova and the capital, Chisinau .

After the collapse of the USSR, the airport began to be used by Air Moldova .

The airport is currently operational, but there is no information on scheduled flights. The airport is sometimes used for occasional charter passenger and cargo flights. Also, the territory of the airport is often used for car races, music concerts and festivals.

On the basis of the Balti-Lyadoveni airport, a repair base has been created and is operating for An-2 aircraft and Mi-2 helicopters.

The state-owned enterprise Moldaeroservice was established in 1966 as the “Office of the Balti Air Squad” and was renamed in 1996 the Moldaeroservice. After the collapse of the USSR, a separate state enterprise MoldATSA became a control and monitoring service for airspace. Thus, the enterprise becomes an autonomous state. Î.S. "Moldaeroservice" company with its own budget. The company administers: Balti-Lyadoveni international airport (145 ha), Balti-Gorod airport (136 ha), professional personnel, structures and buildings necessary for technological and productive processes, An-2 and Mi-2 aircraft.

According to the Air Operator Authorization No. Md 001 issued by the Civil Aviation Administration of the Republic of Moldova, an enterprise performs the following operations: Ambulance flights, Observation flights, search and rescue flights, advertising flights and flights on request, flights in favor of the agrarian-sylvian sector. ^[17]

The development of civil aviation in the northern region of Moldova continues after 1944, when two-seater PO-2 models and later Yak-12 aircraft from Chisinau landed at the former military airport in Balti. The aforementioned aircraft carried mail in the following directions: Balti, Kuhneshti, Ocnita, Glodeni and, if necessary, took 1-2 passengers on board to Chisinau. Thus, on May 15, 1947, an aviation service point for flights from Balti was opened on the basis of this airfield. In the same year, a unit of 3 Yak-12 aircraft was positioned from Chisinau to Balti, which transported mail and goods that were needed a year later to transport passengers, medical personnel in settlements, transportation of seriously ill patients to hospitals of the capital and for use in rural the farm. In that post-war period, civil aviation was acutely important and necessary.

The first commander of the Balti air squad was A. Vorontsov. In 1954, the Balti air terminal building was commissioned with airport services, and the airfield began landing aircraft converted from military to civilian Li-2 models, with which transportations were made to Lviv, Ivano-Frankivsk, Chernivtsi .

In 1961, the Balti-Gorod airport began, when IL-14 aircraft touched down, transporting passengers to longer flights and distances to more distant cities of the former USSR. So the first Balti air squadron was formed.

But the most important year for the Balti aviation and the enterprise was 1966, when, according to the order of the USSR Ministry of Civil Aviation, on the basis of the air squadron consisting of Yak-12 and An-2 planes, air squad number 281 was created, which together with the airport services formed the Balti Air squad Division. Nikolay Zavadsky was appointed commander of the air squad nr 281, Peter Ovchinnikov was the airport director, the technical support chief was Victor Sherstyuk and the vital air squad nr 281 was Vitaliy Bezadezhnykh.

Printre comandanții detașamentului de zbor au fost: Liciman Alexei, Iliacov Evghenii, Bajucov Anatolii, Alexeev Alexei, Burma Vasilii, Tomac Ivan, Rîșcovoi Vladimir, actualmente Cenin Valeriu. Printre conducătorii bazei deservire tehnică a NA au fost: Rotari Grigore, Boris Cabac, actualmente - Gherța Victor. Serviciul de navigabilitate a fost condus de Covalciuc Dmitrie, iar serviciul de pasageri efectuat de Rîbacova Maria, Ojegov Alexandr, Soloviov Leonid. Serviciul aeroport desi deservire la sol a fost condus de Lobanov Petru, Biriucov Rașid, Gubarev Dmitrie, actualmente - Barabaș Vasile.

Throughout the development path, the company went through various stages of restructuring and development. The most significant stage was in 1989 - the year the concrete runway was commissioned at the newly built Balti-Lyadovena airport, thanks to which passengers of the sulfur region of Moldova got the opportunity of air communication to 14 cities of the former USSR on An-24, Tu-134, L-410 aircraft - until 1993.

According to the report on the action plan of March 1, 2013, established as part of an inspection conducted by the Civil Aviation Authority of Moldova, the following services were checked at Balti-Lyadovena airport: passenger and baggage service - general services, ticket office and airports, passenger transportation, baggage service. ^[18]

According to a short notice published on the website of the Ministry of Transport and Road Infrastructure of Moldova ^[19] , the Balti-Lyadoveni airport is located on the territory of the Riscani district with an area of ​​144.5567 ha and includes an airfield, passenger terminal, baggage handling, buildings and structures providing technological process (metal hangar, diesel generator for autonomous reserve, area in front of the passenger terminal, parking spaces for special vehicles and others), as well as a surface that can t be used for infrastructure development at the airport bălţi international airport.

According to the decree number. 32 of the Accounts Chamber of Moldova dated May 25, 2007, Balti International Airport was confirmed as meeting ICAO requirements, although it was poorly managed due to inefficient accounting by Moldaeroservice. ^[20]

August 30, 2007 in accordance with Decision No. 987, the Government of the Republic of Moldova decided to identify and implement measures for the economic efficiency of the Balti International Airport (and Cahul Airport) in the Republic of Moldova by 2012 in order to stimulate and stimulate private investment in these airports. ^[21]

On October 29, 2010, the Government of the Republic of Moldova adopted Decision No. 983, according to which it obliged the Balti economic zone to build real estate on the territory of the Balti international airport in exchange for real estate transferred to the Balti free economic zone and precisely in exchange for the land of the former Balti-Gorod airport . ^[22] Until today, the Balti Economic Free Zone has not started construction work on the territory of the Balti-Lyadovena International Airport, although real estate for commercial purposes has already been built on land plots received from the Balti-City Airport of the Balti-Lyadovena. Balti International Airport is operated by Molderoservice and has an area of ​​144 hectares.

Despite the suspension in September 2015 of the operational certificate issued by the Civil Aviation Administration of the Republic of Moldova at the request of the Director of the Civil Aviation Administration of the Republic of Moldova at the end of 2016, the German-Swiss company Militzer & Münch announced its intention to invest in the modernization of the airport, as well as in the extension WFP, approximately 50 million euros. ^{[23] [24]}

In December 2015, an online petition appeared to resume regular passenger flights from Balti-Lyadovena International Airport. ^{[25] [26]}

In 2016, Polo Invest announced its intention to invest approximately 40 million euros in the modernization of the Balti-Lyadovena international airport, including an extension of the runway. ^[27]

Denis Kaunov Project (2017)

^{[28] [29]} According to Denis Kaunov, “the first thing that tourists meet and that creates an impression of the country is the airport. The development of the state and the comfort of citizens require communication with the outside and the airport performs this function. The main part of the terminal building consists of columns, perforated mesh and glass, which creates transparency of volumes and airiness. Trees in front of the facade in harmony with the columns in the form of Y, which are the supporting elements of the design. These structural elements are not hidden, but rather accented, to give rhythm. The beauty of the structure is defined and open thanks to the play of light using basic geometric shapes like contours and guides. The building is accented by the air navigation control tower, which laconicly rises above the terminal building, connecting with green spaces opposite the entrance to the airport. Inside the airport there is a large internal space, a symbol of comfort and freedom of people inside. Light colors of the terminal building materials dominate. A large amount of light is regulated through the perforated structure of the roof of the building. ”

Polo Invest Project (2016)

The plan to modernize the Balti-Lyadovena airport was supposed to be implemented in two stages. The first was to be built a new terminal with an area of ​​2500 square meters. m with a capacity of 500,000 passengers per year. The cost of the work was estimated at 4.5 million euros.

At the second stage, a large passenger terminal was to be built - an area of ​​25,000 square meters. m with a capacity of 1.5 million passengers per year. It was also planned to build a new runway with a length of 2800 meters (the current strip having a length of 2240 meters) and a four-star hotel. The total cost of the second stage was estimated at 35 million euros. ^[thirty]

^{[31] [32]}

Militzer & Münch Project (2015)

The plan provided for a concession for the Balti Airport for 49 years and an investment of 30 million euros in its modernization at the first stage. for the construction of a new terminal for passengers, warehouses for transported goods, the modernization and extension of the runway of the Balti airport, which will allow the acceptance of Embraer, Airbas and Boieng aircraft here. Investments for the implementation of the second phase of the Balti airport modernization project could amount to 10-15 million euros. It was planned that after modernization, the airport in Balti will become another important transit point for the carriage of goods between the countries of the East and the West, as well as a regional transit point for the transport of passengers and goods, with the emphasis being placed on cargo transportation, given the favorable geographical location of the Balti airport and the presence of a large volume of orders from the holding company for the transport of goods. Balti Airport should be a backup airport for Chisinau Airport, as well as airports in Ukraine and Romania. Investments in the construction and modernization of the Balti airport were planned to be recouped no earlier than seven years later. The project to modernize the Balti airport will create 200 jobs, increase budget allocations, improve the image of Moldova, thanks to the creation of developed infrastructure and logistics, a runway that meets modern security requirements. The area of ​​Balti Airport is 148 hectares. Its modernization could begin in mid-2016 and be completed within 2-3 years.

^{[33] [34]}

Dumitru Negray Project (2012)

^{[35] [36]} According to Dumiitru Negrei, the shape of the wings of the passenger terminal building project symbolizes flight.

Moldaeroservice Project (2000)

According to the former director of the state-owned enterprise Balti Airport, Vitaly Povonsky, the capital reconstruction took place in 2000. ^[37]

• Alexander Pokryshkin ^[38]
• Rudolf Schmidt ^[39]
• Grigory Lyadov ^[40]
• Reinhard Heydrich ^[41]
• Grigore Bashtan ^[42]
• Nadia Russo ^[43]
• Robert Frimcis ^[44]

According to some information, in 2009, due to the demand among residents of the north of Moldova and the neighboring regions of Ukraine and Romania, Air Moldova should have established regular air links between Balti and Moscow, as well as Frankfurt. This project, as of December 2011, has not been implemented.

According to the administration of the Balti-Lyadovena airport, the geographical and weather conditions in this region contribute to the operation of this airport 24 hours a day all year round (even in difficult weather conditions). ^{[45] [46]}

Balti is geographically located in an important transport direction and is an important transport junction of Southeastern Europe. With some modernization of the runway, it is possible to receive aircraft such as Boeing and Airbus . In this regard, it is believed that the Balti-Lyadoveni airport could become one of the hubs for European low-cost airlines such as EasyJet , Ryanair , Wizz Air , as well as for international transport companies.

In mid-December 2011, representatives of the low-budget European airline Wizz Air visited Moldova, intending to open their flights from the Republic of Moldova to Europe. Since the fee for using the Chisinau airport turned out to be high for the company (the Chisinau airport was forced to give a loan taken for the reconstruction of the airport from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and the European Investment Bank, so Chisinau has high airport fees), the possibility of using the Beltsy-Lyadoveni airport is considered ". Flights, presumably, will be carried out by A-320 aircraft ^[47] .

• Moldavian Civil Aviation Administration (rus.) (Rum.) (Eng.)