Albania has been a topic of conversation in recent years when it comes to air travel in Europe. The country of 2.4 million people is developing its air transport in a way that other countries would only wish for. Just look at the statistics of passengers handled at the airport in Tirana, the country's capital.
The airport itself was the fastest growing in Europe in 2025. In 2019, it handled 3,338,147 passengers. Last year, it handled 11,640,044 passengers. This is a breathtaking increase of 248.70%. There are three main factors behind this. Growing tourism, the political will to meet the needs of airlines in Albania, and the airlines themselves, who are continuously expanding their activities at Tirana Airport.
When we return to tourism, there are more and more tourists who want to visit Albania. However, their smooth movement by land is hindered by the country's underdeveloped road and railway infrastructure. The political and development representation of Albania is therefore interested in building additional international airports in those parts of the country that are difficult to reach by land after arriving in Tirana.
Vlora International Airport has been under construction since the pandemic. Czech travel agencies originally expected it to open two years ago, as Czech charters were supposed to be heading there. Unfortunately, for the second season in a row, tour operators experienced a faux pas when they had to inform their clients that the airport was still not completed, and so they would have to change their vacation plans.
From the perspective of transport services with a focus on air transport, we could divide Albania into four parts. The north of the country, if it had regular air connections, could be served by the airport in Kukes. Tirana, today the only active gateway to the country, would take the position of a gateway for trips to the north and central part of Albania in this division. The Vlora airport, which is under construction, is intended to serve tourists traveling to southern Albania, or possibly the central part of the country. The Albanian political representation is now also interested in a gateway to the southernmost part of the country, where a number of popular resorts are also located.
This should be the Gjirokastër airport, also known as Gjirokastra. It is located near the municipality of the same name with a population of 20,000 and currently has only an unpaved grass runway, 1,347 meters long. A new international airport should be built in its place in the future. Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama stated in mid-June that "the government is in the final stage of preparations for the launch of the competition for the Gjirokastra airport, which will serve as a tourist and seasonal airport." The Albanian Civil Aviation Authority certified the Gjirokastra airport in 2022 and gave it the ICAO code LAGK.
Prepared By: Martin Bernict
Photo: planes.cz
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