Centenary of Civil Aviation
100 years since the inauguration of the first national airlines Bucharest – Galați – Chișinău
“Aviation – a terrible weapon of war – must become an instrument of peace.”
Nicolae Titulescu, head of the Romanian delegation at the Trianon Peace Conference, 1920
The Pioneers · 1920 – 1926 | |
1920 23 April | KEY MOMENT Founding of CFRNA The Franco-Romanian Air Navigation Company – the world’s first international transcontinental airline for the regular transport of passengers, cargo and mail, on the Paris – Constantinople route with a stop in Bucharest. |
1921 | Royal Decree No. 565/1921 The Aviation Directorate of the Ministry of Communications is authorised to establish three airports: in Bucharest, Galați and Chișinău. A concrete hangar designed by engineer Mauritius Lerner is built at Băneasa. |
1925 | Decision to create the first national airlines After trial flights between Bucharest and Galați with Potez XV aircraft, nine military De Havilland D.H.9 aircraft are converted for passengers and mail at the Aeronautical Arsenal in Bucharest, led by Major Gheorghe Negrescu, to a design by engineer Constantin Mincu. |
1926 10 June | First paying passenger An aircraft flown by Ion Negreanu carries the first paying passenger from Bucharest to Galați, at a time when the railway line was disrupted by floods. The flight anticipated the official opening of the Bucharest – Galați air line, extended to Chișinău and Iași, scheduled for 24 June 1926. |
1926 20 June | Airmail convention The General Directorate of Posts and the Civil Aviation Directorate sign the draft convention for operating a domestic airmail service. The convention enters into force on 24 June 1926. Airmail is marked “PRIN AVION” (By Air Mail), and special collection boxes are installed in Bucharest. |
1926 24 June | KEY MOMENT · CIVIL AVIATION DAY Inauguration of the first national airlines In the presence of the Royal Family, the Government and the diplomatic corps, the first flights Bucharest – Galați – Chișinău and Bucharest – Galați – Iași take off from Băneasa Airport. The moment is regarded as the inauguration of Romanian civil aviation and of the first national airlines. Special postmark: “Inauguration of the first airmail service Bucharest – Galați – Chișinău, 24 June 1926”. The event was marked by a silver-plated bronze or silver medal struck at the Paris Mint. For the occasion, the Civil Aviation Directorate organised a large air show at Băneasa Airport, attended by the King, Prince Nicolae, the Royal Family, members of the Government, foreign attachés, the diplomatic corps and military and civil authorities. Despite the storms, the airmail reached its destination and was handed over to the post office in Galați the same day, according to the Civil Aviation Directorate’s communiqué of 26 June 1926. The Iași newspaper “Lumea” (No. 2351, 26 June 1926) reported: “This afternoon the inauguration ceremony of Romanian civil aviation took place at Băneasa aerodrome”. |
1926 27 June | Aircraft reach Chișinău and Iași Because of storms and the flooded airfield at Galați, the aircraft can continue to Chișinău and Iași only on 27 June, which marks the effective completion of the inauguration. In the following years, the line was resumed and reorganised, including by LARES and TAROM. The Bucharest – Galați – Chișinău route had a dual significance, aviation and postal: it linked the Romanian capital with Bessarabia faster and was an important step in modernising domestic communications. The timetable allowed passengers and mail to connect with international routes to Belgrade and Constantinople, integrating the national lines into European air transport. Covers carried on these flights bore orange labels with the bilingual inscription “ROMÂNIA – POȘTA AERIANĂ – POSTE AÉRIENNE”, which gives the event special importance for the history of aerophilately as well. |
Development · 1930 – 1980 | |
1930 | Order No. 5035 Through the Directorate of Civil Aviation and Air Navigation, Romania’s Ministry of Industry and Commerce orders “the establishment of air routes in Bessarabia and the formation of civil aviation in Chișinău”, strengthening the institutional foundations of civil aviation in the region. |
1944 | First aircraft detachment in Chișinău After the interruption caused by World War II, civil aviation is relaunched with the creation of the first aircraft detachment. |
1950–60 | Revival and expansion The route network expands and Chișinău Airport becomes an important regional hub for passengers and cargo. |
1970–80 | The Jet Age Jet aircraft make flights faster and more accessible, and Moldova takes an ever clearer place on the international air transport map. |
Modern Era · 1991 – 2026 | |
1991 24 June | 65 years – the AN-24 flight Bucharest – Chișinău An AN-24 of Liniile Aeriene Române (LAR) flies the Bucharest – Chișinău round trip with parliamentarians and officials from both capitals on board, also carrying a mailbag of covers cancelled with an anniversary postmark. In the 1990s, LAR, TAROM and Air Moldova operate in Moldovan skies. After the geopolitical changes of the early 1990s, civil aviation entered a broad process of modernisation and adaptation to international standards. The fleet and airport infrastructure were upgraded, introducing safer and more efficient aircraft equipped with advanced technology for passenger comfort and security. |
1996–2011 | 70th, 75th and 85th anniversaries 1996 – 250 registered covers with a special postmark exchanged between the two capitals. 2001 – international philatelic exhibition “Aripi peste Prut” (Wings over the Prut) in Chișinău. 2011 – national philatelic exhibition with international participation, AEROMFILA (28th edition). |
2009–10 | Modernisation of Chișinău International Airport The terminal is modernised and expanded to cope with steadily growing passenger numbers. |
2012 26 June | KEY MOMENT Common Aviation Area Agreement with the EU Signed in Brussels. Together with visa liberalisation (28 April 2014), the agreement opens the market, boosts competition and attracts new airlines, including low-cost carriers – more routes and cheaper tickets. |
2016 | 90 years Special covers and postmarks for the Bucharest – Chișinău – Bucharest flight; the Bartoc Cultural Foundation issues an illustrated postcard dedicated to the event. |
2025 | KEY MOMENT 24 June – Civil Aviation Day By Government Decision No. 488/2025, 24 June officially becomes Civil Aviation Day, symbolically reconnecting both banks of the Prut through the same beginning – the 1926 flight. The decision reflects the founding moment of civil aviation on the present territory of the Republic of Moldova: the first commercial flight and the Bucharest – Galați – Chișinău airmail line of 24 June 1926. |
2026 24 June | CENTENARY OF CIVIL AVIATION 100 years since the first flight Bucharest – Galați – Chișinău State Enterprise “Poșta Moldovei” and Romfilatelia launch the joint stamp issue “100 years since the inauguration of the first airmail service Bucharest – Galați – Chișinău”. Commemorative plaques made by the Romanian State Mint are installed at the airports of Bucharest, Galați and Chișinău. The philatelic issue brings back to public attention an important episode in the history of civil aviation and airmail, evoking the pioneering spirit, the courage of the aviators and the role of aviation in bringing people and communities together. Today, civil aviation in the Republic of Moldova continues to develop, with a focus on energy efficiency, modern technology and environmental initiatives. From the first flight in 1926 to today’s aircraft, every stage has contributed to connectivity, safety and the country’s integration into the global air transport network. |