Moldova returns Lukoil's fuel terminal at Chisinau airport to state ownership
Moldova will return the fuel terminal operated by Lukoil Moldova at Chisinau International Airport to state ownership. This was announced by Prime Minister Alexandru Munteanu on 15 December. It is reported by The Public with reference to Tv8.md.
According to him, the company has finally lost the right to manage the facility due to non-compliance with the requirements for the sale of assets imposed after international sanctions. The 2005 agreement has been cancelled, and all property on the airport's territory should be transferred to the state within 20 days.
The decision was made by the Council for Investments Important to National Security. The authorities emphasise that it is not a matter of nationalisation, but of returning the situation to the state that existed before the terminal was transferred to a private company. At the same time, the legality of the twenty-year-old deal will be checked.
Lukoil Moldova was obliged to sell the fuel complex near the airport, change its corporate structure and get rid of companies under sanctions, as well as sell another oil storage facility. These requirements have not been fulfilled.
The government stressed that control over the fuel infrastructure is critical for the safety and smooth operation of the country's only international airport. Lukoil Moldova used to provide refuelling for all aircraft and controlled more than 25 per cent of the country's petroleum products market.
The company was hit by US sanctions in October 2025 along with Rosneft. The two companies account for about two-thirds of Russia's oil exports, which amount to approximately 4.4 million barrels per day.
