OREANDA-NEWS. June 19, 2012. The Chisinau International Airport will be modernized on the basis of a public-private partnership approved by the government.

Economics Minister Valeriu Lazar said that the improvement of the airport includes the construction of a new passenger terminal, the development of the cargo terminal and other related facilities (parking lot, trade centres, etc.). The Chisinau International Airport needs huge investments to develop and to become a competitive airport in the region. Presently, the state cannot allot budgetary proceeds to this end, Lazar said.

A transparent international tender will be announced to this end. The requirements towards the private operator will be quite tough, since the project is estimated at over 140 million euros. To this end, a feasibility survey will be carried out in the nearest future, in order to launch the project by the end of the year.

Also today, the government approved the list of state-owned goods and the list of services of national public interest put up for public-private partnerships. The list includes the Balti International Airport, the state-run enterprise Garile si Statiile Auto (Auto and Railways Stations), the terrain of the former Republican Stadium, dialysis services, as well as the renovation of four student hostels of the Moldova State University.

The concession procedure implies the yielding of state-owned goods for a certain period. The goods will return to the state once the enterprise recoups the investments made in these assets. The legislation in force permits the launch of concession processes for up to 50 years.