[8] Since its opening, the airport has served as a hub for Moldovan branch of Aeroflot, then for Air Moldova, and as the main base for Moldaeroservice.

The airport was certified and opened for passenger and cargo services, operating regular passenger flights from 1989 – the year the concrete runway was commissioned at the newly built Bălți-Leadoveni Airport – connecting Bălți with 14 cities of the former USSR with Antonov An-24, Tupolev Tu-134, Let L-410 Turbolet aircraft until 1993.

[6] Before the construction of the runway, 146 hectares of chernozem/ploughland were expropriated from the collective farm (kolkhoz) "Leadoveni", near the village of [[Corlăteni, Rîșcani |Leadoveni]].

The choice of the location of the most recent runway built from scratch in the Republic of Moldova was made carefully, taking into account the then modern technical and engineering means[6] and, in particular, the wind rose direction and lack of stable fog at the Bălți International Airport runway site, the highest altitude: 231 metres above sea level.

The first technical flight on the new Bălți aerodrome was performed on 28 December 1987 by the Antonov An-24 aircraft, by representatives of the Testing Commission of Moldovan Civil Aviation Authority.

On 31 October 1989, authorities established the conformity of the high-intensity runway lights (HIRL) installed at the Bălți-Leadoveni airport.

On 22 February 1990, the Moscow based State Design and Prospecting Research Institute for Civil Aviation "Aeroproject"[41][42] confirmed the pavement classification number and indicated the aircraft which may be operated at Bălți-Leadoveni with no restrictions: Il-18, Antonov An-12, Yakovlev Yak-42, Tupolev Tu-134.

On 8 June 1990, USSR Ministry of Civil Aviation issued Bălți-Leadoveni Certificate No.190 of state registration and aerodrome suitability, confirming the registration of the aerodrome in the USSR State Register of Civil Aerodromes, aerodrome class "B", runway dimensions 2240x42m, 24 cm cement concrete surface type, day and night operation all year round, equipment with non-directional beacons (NDB) as part of the instrument landing system (ILS) on 2 directions, as well as precision approach radar system (PAR) and low intensity runway lights (LIRL) on 2 directions, without weather minima of ICAO landing categories, the ability of unlimited operation of aircraft Tupolev Tu-134, Antonov An-24, Yakovlev Yak-40 and other types of  aircraft of class IIIrd and IVth, as well as any types of helicopters.

Bălți International Airport is designed to operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week, all year round and includes an international passenger terminal (consisting of two buildings: one for departures, the first for arrivals), which has been in a pristine condition since its construction, although the existing facilities were considered temporary in 1987/1989.

During metrological observations it was found that when runways of nearby airports and airfields (Chișinău, Iași, Bucharest, Mărculești, Odesa and Kyiv) are closed for operation or have reduced visibility, the runway of Balti Lyadoveni airport remains operable with sufficient visibility, both horizontal and vertical.

[7][44] Pavement classification number: PCN 16 R (rigid construction) / A (the strongest class is CBR 15 (all CBR above 13%) of the base strength under the road surface / W (unit expressing the maximum tyre pressure the road surface can withstand, W (unlimited) – no tyre pressure limit) / T (description of method by which the first value was obtained): T denotes technical grade) CONC (concrete).

In accordance with the Decision No 32 of the Court of Auditors of Moldova of 25 May 2007, Bălți International Airport has been declared compliant with ICAO requirements.

[46] In accordance with a press release published in December 2015 by the former Moldovan Ministry of Transport and Road Infrastructure,[47] Bălți International Airport is located in the Rîșcani District, covers an area of 144.5567 hectares (14,455.67 a) and includes the aerodrome, passenger terminal, baggage handling facility, buildings and facilities providing the technological process (metal hangar, diesel-electric generator for stand-by reserve, area in front of the passenger terminal, parking spaces for special ground vehicles, etc.

The closest hotel to Bălți International Airport is LidoLux (11.4 kilometres (7.1 mi), 11 minutes' drive).

The first area to enter Bălți from the airport is the Dacia district, which is connected by public transport and taxis to various parts of the city.

From an administrative point of view, the airport depends on geographically competent local authorities: in general on the Government of Moldova, in the field of urban planning permissions and land management on the district council of Rîșcani District and the mayoralty of Corlăteni village.

Among the heads of the airport's technical services base were Grigore Rotari, Boris Cabac, Victor Gherta.

The airport and ground service was headed by Petru Lobanov, Rașid Biriucov, Dmitrie Gubarev, Vasile Barabaș.

[9] In 1989 the concrete runway was put into operation at the newly built Bălți-Leadoveni International Airport (also managed by Moldaeroservice), thanks to which the passengers from the northern region of the Republic of Moldova gained the possibility of air travel on regular flights to 14 cities of the former USSR with aircraft of the type Antonov An-24, Tupolev Tu-134, Let L-410 Turbolet until 1993.

With the collapse of the USSR, the airspace control and surveillance service became separate and was transferred to the Balti branch of the state enterprise MoldATSA.

As Moldova was experiencing an economic crisis in the 1990s, the re-construction and modernization plans of the airport, as well as the whole aviation industry, were put on hold.

Only in the late 1990s and early 2000s, Chișinău International Airport was modernized, with help from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development.

Since May 2015 Air Moldova sells flight tickets with destination point BZY providing a bus transfer service from Bălți to Chișinău airport.

[51] Important development perspectives also appear for Bălți International Airport in the cargo field, which would generate economic growth for the whole northern region of Moldova.