Moldova, the western neighbor of Ukraine, announced closure of its airspace.
The decision was taken to “avoid putting at risk civilian flights”, according to a statement issued by Moldova’s government, issued around the noon of February 24, 2022.
All flights to Moldova’s capital Chisinau will be redirected to Iasi (IAS), a Romanian airport situated close to the Moldovan border.
In order to avoid putting at risk civilian flights, in the context of actions near the border, the Republic of Moldova , through the Civil Aviation Authority, ordered the closure of the airspace. Flights to Chisinau will be redirected to Iasi.
— Government of Republic of Moldova (@GuvernulRMD) February 24, 2022
Earlier in the day, Moldova’s government declared a state of emergency and announced that it was preparing to receive a large number of refugees fleeing Ukraine.
According to Moldovan media, the closure of the airspace was recommended by the country’s Supreme Security Council and came into force at 12:00 p.m. EET (10:00 GMT).
At the time of writing, multiple flight tracking services show Moldova’s airspace as being clear from civilian traffic, while numerous Chisinau-bound flights, scheduled to arrive during the second half of the day, have been cancelled.