...Moldova has put the national carrier,
Air Moldova, up for privatization....
The country’s Public Property Agency (PPA) is handling the round of privatizations. The deadline for bids is Sept. 4.
In a statement, the PPA said
Air Moldova was being offered to investors “due to the need for private capital to modernize the air fleet, improve the quality of services provided and expand the range of services [as well as to] attract transit passengers.”
In a press conference announcing the state privatizations, PPA director-general Vladimir Baldovici, quoted by Moldovan news agency IPN, said Air Moldova would
be offered for a price of 48 million lei (
$2.9 million)
Questioned as to the seemingly modest price, Baldovici reportedly explained the airline had this year alone accumulated debts of 150 million lei, pushing its debt pile to 1.2 billion lei and the price took into account the fact that this would have to be cleared by a purchaser