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Chişinău International Airport (RMO): flight delays and compensation

Chişinău International Airport. Not an EU airport: flights to Chișinău from the EU and flights operated by EU airlines are covered by EU 261/2004. Here is what to expect if your flight was delayed or cancelled here, or you were stranded.

By the EU261 Flight Delay editorial team Last reviewed: Reading time: 6 min How we write our guides

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In short: Flights departing from Chişinău International Airport are covered by EU261 only with an EU airline; flights from an EU airport to Chișinău are always covered, and flights from the UK by UK261. Departures: covered only on EU (or UK) airlines flying to the EU (or UK).

About the airport

Chişinău International Airport (RMO) serves Chișinău, Moldova. On the routes Eurostat reports, 2,215,669 passengers flew to or from it in 2024, the 138th-highest among the 397 European airports we cover. Its busiest connections were to Antalya, Istanbul, Warsaw, Vienna.

This airport is outside the EU and the UK: departing flights are covered by EU261 only if an EU airline operates them to the EU (or UK261 if a UK or EU airline flies them to the UK). Flights arriving here from the EU or the UK are covered with any airline.

Busiest routes from Chișinău – and what a delay is worth

The 14 busiest routes on Eurostat’s 2024 data, with the compensation for a 3-hour-plus delay or a late cancellation in each direction.

DestinationPassengers 2024DistanceFrom RMOReturn
Antalya AYT666,7431,126 km––
Istanbul IST417,998629 km––
Warsaw WAW147,681817 km€250*€250
Vienna VIE141,692937 km€250*€250
Dublin DUB136,6052,579 km€400*€400
Bucharest OTP135,075342 km€250*€250
Milan MXP118,1101,555 km€400*€400
Frankfurt FRA89,7191,536 km€400*€400
Venice VCE80,9391,283 km€250*€250
Bologna BLQ75,7291,392 km€250*€250
Crete HER75,1951,326 km€250*€250
Paris BVA54,1761,997 km€400*€400
Verona VRN45,6201,397 km€250*€250
Frankfurt HHN30,3871,627 km€400*€400

* only with an EU (or UK) airline. Passengers: Eurostat, both directions, routes reported by EU/EEA airports.

Air traffic flow delays at Chișinău International (2025)

EUROCONTROL records the delay imposed on arriving flights when the airport or the airspace around it cannot take more traffic (air traffic flow management, “ATFM”). In 2025, 22,308 flights arrived at RMO; 0 of them were held back this way, 0 by more than 15 minutes – an average of 0.00 minutes per arrival.

What caused the ATFM delay

    Average ATFM delay per arrival by month (min)

    1. J
    2. F
    3. M
    4. A
    5. M
    6. J
    7. J
    8. A
    9. S
    10. O
    11. N
    12. D

    2026 so far (to 30 September 2026): 18,016 arrivals, 0.00 minutes of ATFM delay per arrival (better than 2025).

    Check what happened at RMO on your travel day →

    What this means for a claim: ATFM delays come from weather (0% here), air traffic control capacity and staffing (0%) or airport limits – causes airlines often cite as extraordinary circumstances. They are only part of the story: most long delays come from the airline’s own operation (technical faults, crew, late inbound aircraft), which this data does not show. Source: EUROCONTROL.

    Typical delay causes at Chişinău International Airport

    • EUROCONTROL recorded 22,308 arrivals at RMO in 2025; 0 were held by air traffic flow restrictions, 0 of them by more than 15 minutes.
    • Most long delays that earn compensation are not flow delays but airline problems – technical faults, crew shortages and late inbound aircraft – which do not count as extraordinary circumstances.

    Airlines you are likely to fly with here

      Check your flight from Chișinău

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      What happened?Step 1 of 4

      What happened to your flight?
      Where did you fly from and to?

      With a connection, enter your first departure and your final destination – compensation is based on the total distance.

      How late did you arrive at your final destination?

      What counts is when the aircraft doors opened at your destination – not the departure delay.

      When were you told about the cancellation?
      When did you arrive on the replacement flight?
      Which airline operated the flight?
      When was the flight?

      How many passengers were on the booking?

      1 passenger

      Every passenger gets their own compensation, children too. Infants under 2 without their own seat do not count.

      • Free, no sign-up
      • Fee only if successful (35%)
      • AirHelp: Trustpilot 4.5/5

      Rather skip the questions? Start a claim with AirHelp straight away

      Local information

      • Ask the airline staff at the gate for the reason for the delay or cancellation and write it down; take a photo of the departure board.
      • From 2 hours’ delay (depending on distance) the airline must give you meals and drinks, and a hotel if you are stuck overnight – keep the receipts if you had to pay yourself.
      • If the airline rejects your claim, complain to the national enforcement body of the country where the flight departed (or arrived, for flights from outside the EU), or go to court.

      Frequently asked questions

      Can I claim compensation for a flight departing from Chişinău International Airport?

      Only if the flight is operated by an EU airline. With a non-EU airline, EU261 does not apply to departures from Chişinău International Airport, but local rules and the Montreal Convention may give you a claim for proven losses.

      Can I claim compensation for a flight arriving at Chişinău International Airport?

      If the flight departed from an EU airport (for example Frankfurt, Madrid or Budapest): yes, under EU261, whatever the airline. If it departed from the UK: yes, under UK261.

      How is the length of the delay measured?

      By your arrival time at your final destination – more precisely, the moment the aircraft door opens at the gate. It must be at least 3 hours after the scheduled arrival time.

      Related guides

      Information only, not legal advice. Passenger figures are approximate and based on the airports' published statistics; punctuality figures are from the UK Civil Aviation Authority. We earn a commission when a claim submitted through our partner links is successful.

      Sources

      1. Eurostat – air passenger transport routes between partner airports and main airports (2024) – Eurostat
      2. EUROCONTROL – airport arrival ATFM delays (open performance data) – EUROCONTROL

      We check every rule against the sources above. Spotted an error? Tell us – see our editorial policy.