Private jet to Chișinău

Chișinău, also spelled Kishinev, is the capital of Moldova and its political and business centre. Private flyers come for meetings with ministries, banks and partners, for wine: the cellars of Cricova and Mileștii Mici hold collections counted in millions of bottles, and for programmes that link Moldova with Bucharest, Istanbul or Vienna. A trip can fit into a single day: land in the morning, hold the meeting or the tasting, and take off again in the evening.

Business jets use Chișinău International Airport Eugen Doga, 13 km south-east of the centre. The airport and the tower work 24 hours, slots are not required, and private passengers pass border and customs control in a VIP terminal away from the airline hall. Ukrainian airspace is closed to civil flights, so aircraft from western and northern Europe fly around it over Hungary and Romania, and our prices include this detour. As a broker, we compare aircraft from operators across Europe and quote the whole trip, from the permit to the car at the terminal.

Send the route, the date and the number of passengers, and mention any visit to the cellars or outside the capital. A consultant will reply with aircraft, routing and prices.

Why fly privately to Moldova

How long is the flight

These are Citation CJ3 times from the tables below, taxi included. The straight line from London, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Berlin or Warsaw crosses Ukraine, so the aircraft routes over Hungary and Romania. For the European hubs we add about 7 % to the distance for this detour and for airway routing. From Warsaw and Rzeszów the detour is much larger, about a fifth of the distance. From Bucharest, Sofia, Budapest, Athens, Rome and Istanbul the route needs no detour worth counting. The operator checks the notices for the region before every flight and files the final routing, which can change the time by a few minutes.

Private jet prices to Chișinău

All prices are for the whole aircraft, one way, plus handling, airport charges and passenger taxes, and assume an aircraft available near the departure airport. The flight time column refers to the first aircraft in each row.

From the European hubs

A CJ3 covers every hub non-stop, Madrid included at 4:30 h. Vienna is the cheapest at EUR 11,500, while from London the same class costs EUR 17,500. The Challenger 350 costs about 60 % more than the CJ3 on these sectors and saves up to about 25 minutes.

From south-east and southern Europe

These routes do not touch Ukrainian airspace and are priced on the direct line:

From Poland, around Ukraine

From Warsaw and Rzeszów the straight line runs almost entirely over Ukraine. The aircraft flies over Slovakia, Hungary and Romania instead, about 20 % further:

Long-haul flights

With 3,590 m of runway, the airport takes any long-range jet. From Tel Aviv and Dubai all three types fly non-stop; from New York the Challenger 650 needs one fuel stop.

The price grows with flight time, plus a fixed share for bringing the aircraft and crew to the departure airport. Passenger taxes depend on the country of departure: about EUR 1,015 per passenger on a jet leaving France (the French tax rises with distance and is about EUR 420 within Europe) and EUR 12 from Vienna; Italy charges EUR 200 per passenger from Milan or Rome, as the distance used for this tax, the great circle plus 95 km, exceeds 1,500 km. Germany charges a departure tax, and the UK charges Air Passenger Duty at the standard rate of the distance band for jets under 20 t such as the CJ3 and the Challenger 350. Moldovan airport charges and the mandatory handling fee are listed in the quote.

Business jet price per flight hour

Heavy Jets from EUR 8,300 / hour

Light Jets from EUR 3,200 / hour

Ultra Long Range Jets from EUR 12,000 / hour

Super Midsize Jets from EUR 6,300 / hour

Very Light Jets from EUR 2,500 / hour

Long Range Jets from EUR 9,800 / hour

Midsize Jets from EUR 4,500 / hour

Turboprops from EUR 2,000 / hour

What a trip really costs

Price per person

The aircraft is chartered as a whole, so the price per seat falls quickly with the size of the group. Passenger taxes are added per head:

Calculator

The calculator works on the straight line, so for routes from the north and west its estimate can come out below the tables. Send it anyway, and a consultant returns with the real routing and price.

The airport and its alternates

Chișinău International Airport Eugen Doga (RMO, LUKK) is named after the Moldovan composer and lies 122 m above sea level, 13 km south-east of the centre. Its IATA code changed from KIV to RMO, and the old code still turns up in some booking systems. Almost all international air traffic to Moldova passes through it, private flights included.

Handling is mandatory, and Euro Jet, FCG Ops and Evropa Jet Services are among the handlers. The handler reports every passenger to border police and customs, so names and passport numbers are needed by the day before. Foreign operators need a permit from the Moldovan civil aviation authority for non-scheduled commercial flights, which matters for a short-notice trip. The airport warns crews about birds at dawn and dusk, and photographing airport installations is forbidden: pictures beside the aircraft only with the handler's agreement.

Alternate airports in Romania

If weather or another reason closes Chișinău, the operator files one of these. Distances are in a straight line from Chișinău airport:

Which aircraft suits the trip

Wine bought at the cellars travels in the hold, so tell us the number of cases when you book. Several cases fill a light jet quickly, and a midsize jet is the safer choice for a buying trip.

Questions about the aircraft, the permit or the route? Leave your number and a consultant will call you back.

When to fly: seasons and wine

Business travel runs all year, while wine and weather give some months their own character:

For a visit to a producer, agree the date with the winery before booking the aircraft: during the harvest, smaller estates have less time for business talks.

The wine cellars within an hour of the runway

From the airport to the city and beyond

Empty Legs to and from Chișinău

An Empty Leg is a flight the operator makes without passengers, for example after dropping clients or to collect them. Moldova is not on the busiest routes, but empty sectors from the region appear regularly:

The operator sets the date and time, so an Empty Leg suits a flexible plan rather than a fixed meeting. Write to empty-legs@jets.flights with the direction and a range of dates, and we send matching flights as they come up.

Flying with a dog or cat

The pet travels in the cabin beside you, not in the hold, and the operator approves it in advance. Getting to Moldova is simple; the return to the EU needs planning weeks ahead:

• Microchip to ISO standard, implanted before the rabies vaccination.
• Rabies vaccination at least 21 days before travel for a first vaccination.
• EU pet passport; pets from Great Britain travel with an animal health certificate.
• Up to five dogs, cats or ferrets per person; Moldova also admits animals only through crossings with a veterinary post.
• Moldova is not on the EU list of countries exempt from the rabies antibody test. Blood is taken at least 30 days after vaccination and tested in an EU-approved laboratory, with a minimum of 0.5 IU/ml. With the result in the passport before departure, the pet returns without the three-month wait.
• On the way back, the animal enters the EU through an airport designated for pets from non-EU countries, which we take into account when choosing the arrival airport.

Documents, customs and taxes

Before departure: checklist

• Passport or EU ID card for every passenger, valid three months beyond the exit, children included.
• Names and document numbers sent by the day before, for the handler and the border.
• Programme in Moldova: hotel, meeting address and any visit to the cellars or outside the capital.
• Number of suitcases and the cases of wine expected on the way home.
• Pet passport with the rabies antibody result entered before departure.
• Company name and VAT number for the invoice.

How to book a private jet to Chișinău

1. Send the departure airport, the date, the number of passengers and bags, and your programme in Moldova.
2. We check the routing around Ukraine with the operator and start the permit with the Moldovan civil aviation authority.
3. You receive 2-3 options with operator, model, cabin photos, real flight time and the price for the whole aircraft, with waiting time if you return the same day.
4. You sign the contract and pay; we send the passenger list to the handler and book the car and the cellar visit.
5. On the day, arrive 20-30 minutes before take-off. In Chișinău you pass control in the VIP terminal and the car waits outside.

Our team

Charlotte McKinney

Commercial Director

charlotte.m@jets.flights

Henry Richter

Head of Aviation Department and Data Protection Officer

henry.r@jets.flights

Emma Miller

Director of Development

emma.m@jets.flights

Liam Bishop

Senior Aviation Consultant

liam.b@jets.flights

Oliver Davis

Aviation Consultant

oliver.d@jets.flights

Anna Laurent

Aviation Consultant

anna.l@jets.flights

Private flights to Moldova: frequent questions

• • How much does a private jet to Chișinău cost?

  • A light jet costs from EUR 8,500 one way from Bucharest and from EUR 11,500 from Vienna, for the whole aircraft. Handling, airport charges and passenger taxes are added in the quote.

• • Why does the flight take longer than the distance suggests?

  • From London, Frankfurt, Hamburg or Poland the shortest line crosses Ukraine, whose airspace is closed to civil flights. The aircraft flies around it over Hungary and Romania, and our tables include that detour.

• • Which terminal do private passengers use?

  • A VIP terminal separate from the airline hall, with border and customs control inside. The car can wait at its entrance.

• • Can we land at night?

  • Yes. The airport and the tower work 24 hours and slots are not required. The crew's duty time is the only limit on a late return.

• • How long is the flight from Vienna?

  • About 1:54 h in a Citation CJ3 and 1:45 h in a Challenger 350.

• • Do we need a visa for Moldova?

  • Citizens of the EU, the UK and the USA can stay up to 90 days in any 180 without a visa. EU citizens can travel on a national ID card, others need a passport.

• • Can we bring wine home on the aircraft?

  • Yes, but the duty-free allowances for travellers from non-EU countries apply on arrival in the EU. Larger amounts are declared at customs, and the number of cases decides the size of the aircraft.

• • How far is Cricova from the airport?

  • About 15 km north of the city, while the airport is south-east of it. By car through the city the drive takes up to an hour.

• • Can our dog fly with us?

  • Yes, in the cabin. For the return to the EU the dog needs a rabies antibody test entered in its passport before departure, as Moldova is not on the EU exemption list.

• • Are there Empty Legs to Chișinău?

  • They come up from Bucharest, Istanbul, Sofia and Poland, and back towards central Europe. Send your direction and dates to empty-legs@jets.flights.

• • Is Chișinău the right airport for Odesa?

  • Yes, it is the nearest open airport, about 184 km by road from Odesa. Our page on Odesa covers the road and the border in detail.

• • How late can we book?

  • Book as soon as the date is known: a foreign operator needs a permit from the Moldovan civil aviation authority, and the handler needs the passenger list by the day before.