State takes over oil complex at Chisinau International Airport

The Public Property Agency (APP) and the Chisinau International Airport have completed the inventory process and on January 29, 2026, signed the handover documents for the airport’s oil complex from the company Lukoil Moldova. Thus, the assets previously owned by Lukoil on the airport’s territory have returned to state ownership, in accordance with the decision of the Council for the Examination of Investments of Importance for State Security (CEIISS) from December 15, 2025, according to the Energy Ministry.

The CEIISS decision prohibited Lukoil’s activity in areas of strategic interest for state security and ordered a return to the situation prior to the 2005 privatization of the oil complex. The company was obliged to hand over the assets by January 9, 2026, but did not comply with the deadline. As a result, on January 16, the Council imposed a fine of 5 million lei, which was later paid. Following the decision of January 16, Lukoil’s activity in strategic sectors was suspended, and the deadline for the complete transfer of assets was extended until January 28.

The investment screening procedure for the investments made by Lukoil-Moldova Limited Liability Company was initiated in May 2024, prior to the international sanctions imposed by the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) of the U.S. Department of the Treasury. In the context, on November 12, 2025, the Airport and Lukoil concluded a free loan-for-use (commodatum) contract, under which the airport took over the administration of the assets until the completion of the handover process.

“With regard to the future of the fuel stations on the territory of Moldova, they are to be taken over by the American investment fund Carlyle Group. According to national legislation, the new shareholder is obliged to request approval for the investments, and CEIISS will decide in this regard,” the Energy Ministry says.

The takeover of the oil complex marks an important step for the economic and strategic security of Moldova, strengthening state control over critical infrastructure.