Air travel in the Republic of Moldova continues to grow, and more passengers choose planes for their journeys. In the first three months of 2026, air transport records one of the strongest increases in the public transport sector.
According to the National Bureau of Statistics, nearly 380,000 passengers travel by air during this period, marking an increase of over 9% compared to the same period last year. At the same time, the total distance traveled by air passengers rises by more than 23%, reaching nearly 748 million passenger-kilometers, according to BANI.MD.
In contrast, rail transport continues to decline sharply. Only 32,700 passengers use trains in the first quarter of 2026, a drop of almost 69%, while passenger-kilometers fall by more than 40%.
Overall, public transport in Moldova registers a slight increase. Between January and March 2026, 82.8 million passengers use public transport, up 0.7% compared to the previous year. Most trips are made by trolleybus, which accounts for over 66% of all public transport journeys, with more than 54.8 million passengers carried.
Buses and minibuses remain widely used and transport 27.6 million passengers, although this segment also sees a slight decline compared to last year. Most of these trips take place in local and municipal traffic.
Freight transport also grows significantly. In the first three months of 2026, transport companies move 4.5 million tons of goods, an increase of over 15% compared to the same period in 2025. Road transport dominates the sector and accounts for nearly 90% of total freight volumes.