Flights from Chișinău take off a third empty: Ukrainians get stuck at the border because of air raid alerts

Planes from Chișinău airport regularly depart only two-thirds full — Ukrainian passengers miss their flights due to hours-long queues at border checkpoints that form during air raid alerts.

A travel agent reported this on social media.

According to her, on one of the most recent nights, half of the flights from Chișinău departed a third empty. The reason is the closure of border crossing points during air raid alerts, a measure introduced by the authorities in mid-September. The rule applies in all directions — both via Odesa and via Vinnytsia.

“People are now waiting five, seven, ten, twelve hours. Last night had one of the longest queues, and even after the all-clear, when traffic resumed, people simply turned back because the planes had left without them and there are no others. For destinations like Cyprus, for example, planes don’t fly every day. And even if there are tickets for a flight the day after tomorrow, three days of vacation are already lost,” the travel agent said.

The agent stressed that Moldova has ceased to be the country with the shortest border queues compared to other routes. If crossing the border used to take two to three hours, that is no longer the case.

A separate problem is the legal aspect: a queue at the border is not considered force majeure, meaning that a delay caused by it does not entitle travelers to monetary compensation for a missed airline ticket or a lost day of a tour. The travel agent recommends leaving with a full day to spare and, if necessary, spending the night at a hotel in Chișinău — she notes that there are affordable hotels near the airport. In her view, such expenses are preferable to losing an entire vacation.

After Ukrainian airspace was closed following the start of the war, Chișinău airport became the largest hub for Ukrainians flying abroad, including on tourist routes. The rule introduced in mid-September requiring border checkpoints to close during air raid alerts has led to hours-long queues at the border.