Chișinău International Airport expansion project faces criticism

Expert Vitalie Rapcea of Expert-Grup has raised concerns regarding the planned expansion of Chișinău International Airport, suggesting that the proposed infrastructure project may already be outdated due to rapid increases in passenger traffic.

Rapcea argues that the current development plans lack a realistic master plan based on updated traffic forecasts. He noted that while previous documents suggested a terminal of approximately 20,000 square meters would suffice for 2.6 million passengers, current growth rates suggest the investment might be insufficient even before completion.

Instead of large-scale, rigid construction, Rapcea recommends a modular development approach. This would allow the airport to expand capacity incrementally in response to actual traffic evolution. He also suggested that congestion and processing delays could be addressed more cost-effectively through technological modernization and improved security procedures, such as advanced scanners, rather than solely through expensive new construction.