At Vlora International Airport (VIA), one of the strategic investments for Albanian tourism and the economy, the first certification flight took place today. The event was met with great interest and held as a special occasion attended by Prime Minister Edi Rama, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Infrastructure and Energy Belinda Balluku, newly hired airport staff, and numerous guests from Kosovo. Later, Mr. Behgjet Pacolli also arrived from another flight.
“I want to express my confidence that this double-headed eagle, created through the collaboration of human resources from Kosovo and Albania within the Vlora airport team, will raise the name of this airport high—through the quality of service, safety, and of course, the level of hospitality I saw today with great pleasure,” said Prime Minister Edi Rama in his welcoming speech.
Vlora International Airport (VIA) will serve as the main entry point to Southern Albania. This airport will contribute to the overall economic growth of the country and will transform the South into a tourism hotspot, capable of attracting foreign direct investments thanks to its location—less than an hour away from key tourist and urban attractions.
With the operation of Vlora Airport, the country will benefit from low-cost airline routes entering the market and will encourage investors to further develop the airport and tourism infrastructure in the area.
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Prime Minister Edi Rama:
You all know very well that those who are truly important tend to arrive late, so we’re waiting for Uncle Behgjet to honor us with his landing on the runway. In the meantime, since Belinda and Maksi have run out of words—and as you know, I never run out of words—I came here to say, first and foremost, congratulations and best of luck to all the new employees of Vlora Airport who are here with us today.
I want to especially thank the group from Kosovo who are present, and express my strong belief that this double-headed eagle, formed through the collaboration of human resources from both Kosovo and Albania within the body of Vlora Airport, will elevate the name of this airport through its quality of service, safety, and of course, the high level of hospitality I saw today with great pleasure.
I also want to thank everyone who believed in this project and worked on it—because, to be honest, it hasn’t been easy at all. This has been an extremely challenging project. Just consider this: the entire airport structure has been elevated two meters above ground level, since the terrain here lies two meters below sea level. An extraordinary amount of work has gone into the part that remains invisible today, all to ensure a solid platform built to the highest international standards and fully compliant with all quality parameters, which will be certified by international institutions.
The Kukës Airport has faced its own challenges in securing the necessary operators. It’s not a simple airport—it has issues related to its landing corridor, something we acknowledged from the beginning. On the other hand, to attract operators to an airport, you must build the right level of trust that it won’t be a loss-making operation from the outset. The company operating the airport has made efforts to sign agreements and contracts, but hasn’t yet found an icebreaker—a first mover to demonstrate that the airport is worth the investment, as was the case with Tirana Airport.
Tirana Airport was once the most expensive airport in Europe. We inherited—Europe’s most expensive airport. What’s more, the concessionaire we inherited had managed to impose a unique arrangement on the Albanian state, securing not only the right to operate the airport but also a monopoly on decision-making. This meant the Albanian government could not open another airport without their permission. Their contract with the state even included a clause prohibiting the construction of any other airport within a 100-kilometer radius of Tirana Airport—effectively ruling out projects like the one in Vlora.
At the same time, the number of flights was extremely limited and ticket prices were outrageously high. The transformation happened through a comprehensive plan—a step-by-step strategy we implemented that effectively turned Tirana Airport from the most expensive, most difficult, and most exhausting airport for travelers into the airport with the highest growth rate for several consecutive years across Europe. It has also become the largest airport in the region—not just in terms of growth, but in absolute passenger numbers.
Today, Tirana processes more passengers than Belgrade—a scenario that would have been unimaginable just a few years ago. The number of flights has reached an incredible level. Tirana Airport operates day and night, while in most regional airports, activity dies down by afternoon. Meanwhile, as Minister Belinda Balluku mentioned, we are pushing forward with upgrading the airport’s category to allow for transoceanic flights. Discussions have already begun with the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration, a process that will require a set period for inspections and approvals.
They have visited, inspected the airport, and identified the elements they want to see. On the other hand, the airport is in serious discussions, and we are doing our part to attract some very prestigious airlines—starting with Qatar Airways. But let me tell you this: I have personally held meetings with airline companies. I personally appealed to them to come. In the early years, it was impossible—there was a great deal of skepticism.
When Ryanair finally arrived, it may have seemed to some that they had just randomly discovered Tirana. But the truth is, we pursued Ryanair relentlessly—we chased them down, so to speak, with our best offer in hand. Still, they didn’t believe that Tirana and Albania could offer a viable business opportunity.
And yet, today, Ryanair is happy with Albania.
Air Kosova’ will be the next Albanian airline, and these two aircraft will represent the shared pride of our two nations—‘Air Albania,’ which will have its base here in Vlora, and ‘Air Kosova,’ which will be based in Kukës. And to confirm this, I’ve brought the certificate with me—so no one can say it’s photoshopped. This is the official registration of the company, dated January 2025. The company is now working on securing aircraft and preparing to begin operations within the country.
Unlike the Kukës Airport, which is a small low-cost hub, Vlora Airport will be a year-round international airport, not just a seasonal tourist destination. Kukës, too, will operate year-round with low-cost flights, while Gjirokastra—our planned project for the next mandate—will be a seasonal tourist airport, strongly supporting the Ionian coast during the summer and boosting the entire southern region of Albania. Just as Kukës will be a major support for tourism in the north.
It was mentioned here that over 1,000 people will be employed directly within the airport perimeter—but when I speak of employment, I’m thinking not only about the airport itself, but about the broader territory: the entire Vlora and Fier regions. These areas will come under pressure from rising demand for skilled labor, because in addition to passenger operations, this site will also handle aircraft maintenance, and for the first time in Albania, cargo operations—including dedicated cargo planes—will take place here.
We have already received expressions of interest from major international companies involved in postal and logistics transport—both for Tirana and Vlora. Surrounding the airport, we will see further developments, primarily in tourism, but also in logistics. Across from here, a remarkable transformation is underway—one that has often been discussed in terms of image and quality, and is now visibly taking shape.
Our ambition is for this development—not just to be another dot on the tourism industry map—but to become a model of progress, a magnet for investment, and a benchmark for excellence across the Mediterranean region.
The ambition is that the development of Sazan Island and the entire surrounding area will create an extraordinary magnet, drawing attention to Vlora and all of Albania.
Therefore, the future looks extremely promising for Vlora, and this airport is the clearest reflection of the promise that the future holds for the city.
I would like to conclude by saying a few words about our national airline, ‘Air Albania,’ which has undergone a challenging transition but is now entering a new phase. Soon, two additional aircraft will join the fleet, bringing the total number of planes to five. And, as initially planned—though this plan is now unfolding gradually according to the timeline—we will eventually have seven aircrafts. Moreover, ‘Air Albania’ is also working on establishing a dedicated business fleet, which will be a tremendous added value for both our tourism industry and our aviation sector
As I mentioned, just as Vlora is preparing today, Tirana is also getting ready to welcome flights from across the ocean. Rest assured that, at the end of the day, all of this—every bit of it—translates into a powerful boost for Albania’s economy. And the remarkable growth we’ve seen in GDP, which has tripled from less than 10 billion euros when we took office to 25 billion euros, is only the beginning of an even stronger upward trajectory. Our forecast for Albania’s GDP in 2030, at 35 billion euros, is the minimum of what we will achieve.
Thank you once again!!!
