How Airfare from Chisinau Has Changed Over the Past 15 Years: An Analysis of 30 Destinations

In May 2011, a round-trip ticket from Chișinău to Warsaw cost €1,151. Today, a direct one-way flight costs €56. This is not a typo.

We took archived prices from 2011 and compared them with current 2026 fares across 30 destinations served by Chișinău Airport.

Methodology. 2011 prices are based on archived booking system data. Where a round-trip fare was listed, half of the amount was used as an approximate one-way price. 2026 prices are the lowest direct-flight fares available on Zbor.md for June–July 2026. Destinations that required connections in 2011 are marked with an asterisk — their prices are approximate.

Where People Fly from Chișinău Today

According to Chișinău Airport data for May 2026, almost every tenth passenger flies to Turkey — Antalya (10.6%) and Istanbul (9.8%) occupy the top two spots. They are followed by Sharm El Sheikh (5.6%) and London (5.5%). Beach vacations and labor migration account for the majority of passenger traffic.

The full picture of passenger traffic across 30 destinations:

#	Destination	Traffic Share
1	🇹🇷 Antalya	10.60%
2	🇹🇷 Istanbul	9.80%
3	🇪🇬 Sharm El Sheikh	5.60%
4	🇬🇧 London	5.50%
5	🇮🇹 Milan	3.90%
6	🇷🇴 Bucharest	3.70%
7	🇫🇷 Paris	3.30%
8	🇵🇱 Warsaw	3.20%
9	🇮🇱 Tel Aviv	2.90%
10	🇮🇹 Rome	2.70%
11	🇦🇹 Vienna	2.60%
12	🇩🇪 Frankfurt	2.50%
13	🇮🇹 Bologna	2.30%
14	🇮🇪 Dublin	2.10%
15	🇦🇲 Yerevan	2.10%
16	🇩🇪 Berlin	2.00%
17	🇪🇸 Barcelona	2.00%
18	🇨🇾 Larnaca	1.90%
19	🇧🇪 Brussels	1.90%
20	🇮🇹 Venice	1.80%
21	🇮🇹 Verona	1.70%
22	🇨🇿 Prague	1.60%
23	🇬🇷 Heraklion (Crete)	1.60%
24	🇬🇷 Athens	1.50%
25	🇦🇿 Baku	1.40%
26	🇩🇪 Nuremberg	1.40%
27	🇪🇬 Hurghada	1.30%
28	🇩🇪 Dortmund	1.10%
29	🇩🇪 Stuttgart	1.10%
30	🇩🇪 Memmingen	1.10%
Other destinations		14.00%

Prices Then and Now: Full Comparison

In the table below, you can see the price history of each route. For 2011 data, where a round-trip fare was recorded, half of the amount was used as an approximate one-way fare. Destinations that did not exist in the 2011 schedule are marked with * — their prices were estimated based on typical connecting routes of that time.

Destination	2011 (≈one-way)	2026 (one-way)	Change	Comment
🇹🇷 Antalya	~846 €	137 €	−84%	In 2011 — only charter flights as part of package tours
🇹🇷 Istanbul	~139 €	95 €	−32%	Has always been relatively affordable
🇪🇬 Sharm El Sheikh	~256 €	187 €	−27%	Seasonality softens the decline
🇬🇧 London	~289 €	98 €	−66%	Direct flights, low-cost carriers
🇮🇹 Milan	~196 €	73 €	−63%	A key route for the Moldovan diaspora
🇷🇴 Bucharest	~149 €	45 €	−70%	Short route, strong competition
🇫🇷 Paris	~301 €	56 €	−81%	Wizz Air and FlyOne transformed the market
🇵🇱 Warsaw	~576 €	56 €	−90% 🏆	Record decline among all routes
🇮🇱 Tel Aviv	~279 €	136 €	−51%	Geopolitical factors limit the decline
🇮🇹 Rome	~273 €	96 €	−65%	Direct flights, competition from low-cost carriers
🇦🇹 Vienna	~110 €	137 €	+25%	The only route where the price increased
🇩🇪 Frankfurt	~232 €	145 €	−37%	Lufthansa hub, premium pricing remains
🇮🇹 Bologna	348 €	68 €	−80%	Direct flights appeared after 2011
🇮🇪 Dublin	442 €	176 €	−60%	Long-haul route, Moldovan diaspora in Ireland
🇦🇲 Yerevan	~227 € *	148 €	−35%	* In 2011, flights were via Moscow
🇩🇪 Berlin	~342 €	88 €	−74%	Eurowings and Wizz Air disrupted pricing
🇪🇸 Barcelona	417 €	112 €	−73%	Direct FlyOne flights appeared later
🇨🇾 Larnaca	~180 € *	99 €	~−45%	* In 2011 via Bucharest or Athens
🇧🇪 Brussels	252 €	55 €	−78%	One of the most affordable routes today
🇮🇹 Venice	199 €	65 €	−67%	Direct flight added after 2011
🇮🇹 Verona	~150 €	78 €	−48%	Gateway to Northern Italy
🇨🇿 Prague	169 €	77 €	−54%	Popular tourist destination
🇬🇷 Heraklion (Crete)	~200 € *	135 €	~−33%	* In 2011 via Athens or Istanbul
🇬🇷 Athens	~453 €	81 €	−82%	Greece has become truly affordable
🇦🇿 Baku	~350 € *	254 €	~−27%	* In 2011 via Istanbul or Moscow
🇩🇪 Nuremberg	~250 € *	75 €	~−70%	* In 2011 via Vienna or Munich
🇪🇬 Hurghada	~250 € *	210 €	~−16%	* Seasonal charter flights or via Cairo
🇩🇪 Dortmund	~280 € *	111 €	~−60%	* There was no direct flight in 2011
🇩🇪 Stuttgart	~280 € *	98 €	~−65%	* There was no direct flight in 2011
🇩🇪 Munich	~442 €	85 €	−81%	Lufthansa vs low-cost carriers = prices dropped

* — Direct flights were not available in 2011. The price is calculated as an estimated cost of the flight via a typical transfer hub of that time. Actual passenger expenses could have been higher.

The Most Surprising Stories in Numbers

Warsaw: −90%. A round trip for 1151 euros in 2011 — this is not a typo, it is the real price from the booking system archive. Warsaw was an almost unreachable city for most people at that time. Today it costs 56 euros one way. The route has become one of the most popular — 3.2% of all Chisinau passenger traffic.

Antalya: −84%, but the story is different. 1691 euros round trip — this was not just an expensive ticket, it was the price of a charter flight as part of a package tour. In 2011, people from Moldova practically did not fly to Turkey independently: only with a tour operator, only as part of a group. Today it is 137 euros with a direct flight — no tour operator, no mandatory hotels.

Athens: from 906 euros round trip to 81 euros one way. Greece was an unreachable luxury. Today it is one of the most affordable Mediterranean destinations from Chisinau. The price drop is 82%.

Vienna — the only exception: +25%. Austrian Airlines is not a low-cost carrier, does not plan to become one, and continues operating in the quality service segment. Vienna is also an important transfer hub, which ensures stable demand even with higher prices. This is the only route in our sample where the ticket became more expensive.

Yerevan: a route with a different logic

The numbers for Yerevan may look modest — a decrease of around 35%. But behind them lies a completely different story. In 2011, there was practically no regular direct Chisinau–Yerevan route. The main route went through Moscow, and 227 euros was the price of only one segment of this journey. The total travel expenses were significantly higher. Today's 148 euros represent a direct flight, without transfers, without Moscow, without hours of waiting at a transit airport.

How It Became Possible: What Changed in 15 Years

Three main changes explain almost the entire price collapse.

Low-cost airlines entered the market. The arrival of Wizz Air, Ryanair, and later the emergence of Moldova's own low-cost carrier FlyOne created competition where there was none before. Low-cost airlines operate with minimal margins, compensating through volume — and this puts pressure on the prices of all market participants, including traditional carriers.

Direct flights replaced transfers. In 2011, cities such as Dortmund, Stuttgart, Nuremberg, Heraklion, and Larnaca had no direct connection with Chisinau at all. Each transfer meant a separate segment, a separate price, and a lost day. Today, more than 40 cities are served by direct flights from Chisinau.

Conclusion

The average airline ticket price from Chisinau to popular destinations has decreased by approximately 65% compared to 2011. If in 2011 an average one-way ticket cost 300–350 euros, today the median price for the same routes is around 100 euros.

With the amount of money that was spent on one flight to Berlin in 2011, today you can fly to Berlin, Paris, and Brussels — and still have change left. Aviation has stopped being a privilege. It is simply a way of getting around.

Sources: Chisinau Airport data (passenger traffic, May 2026), archived booking system data (2011), current Zbor.md fares (June 2026). Direct flight prices are the minimum fares for the specified dates. 2011 round-trip prices were converted into "one-way" prices by dividing by 2.