A new international airport on Albania’s coast is set to start flights within weeks in a region where Donald Trump’s son-in-law is planning a glitzy development for rich tourists.
Over the past three years, a group of investors has poured $170 million to build up a former military airstrip into the airport in Vlora, the country’s second-biggest port. Charter operations will get going this summer and the airport is expected to offer full commercial service later in the year, Chief Executive Officer Valon Lluka said.
“Vlora Airport is a strategic investment for boosting tourism in southern Albania,” he said in an interview. “It will serve as a vital gateway to the Albanian Riviera and surrounding regions.”
The bet is that Vlora will ease access to the southern stretch of Albania’s 500-kilometer-long (310 miles) coastline, which has recently turned into a magnet for tourists lured by cheaper prices and a taste of the unknown compared with nearby Greece or Croatia.
The airport is also part of a larger effort to recast Vlora as a high-end tourism destination. Away by boat from Vlora lies the island of Sazan, where Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law, plans to develop a $1.4 billion luxury resort.
Albania Is Racing to Become a Tourist Hub
Vlora to host first international airport on coast
Located just 10 kilometers away from Vlora, the airport will ease pressure on Tirana, the capital, which last year handled 10.7 million passengers. That’s three times the passenger traffic seen before the coronavirus pandemic.
With Tirana stretched, the government is now directing growth to coastal cities like Vlora, long prized for their natural beauty but largely undiscovered for decades because they were disconnected from the international travel network.
The transition of Albania, which was isolated for decades under communism, has picked up during Prime Minister Edi Rama’s 12 years in power. Ambitious tourism, highway and energy projects have fueled the economy, raising living standards. Still, the nation remains one of Europe’s poorest, which has led to a brain drain that reduced its population by about 20% during Rama’s time in power.
The government awarded a 35-year concession for the design, construction and operation of Vlora Airport in December 2019 to a consortium led by Behgjet Pacolli, a Kosovo-Swiss businessman who served as the president of his homeland for less than two months.
Tourism is a key contributor to the nation’s economy, accounting for about 20% of its gross domestic product. One in five Albanians also works in the industry, according to the World Travel and Tourism Council data.
Tourist Arrivals Hit Record in Albania
Number of foreign visitors to the Balkan state has almost doubled since before the pandemic.
Vlora is now a central point to Rama’s vision of transforming Albania into a European tourist hub.
The 3.2-kilometer runway will be able to accommodate wide-body aircraft — including Boeing 777s and Airbus A330s — making it one of few airports in the region capable of handling long-haul traffic. The facility’s initial capacity is projected at 2 million passengers a year, with a goal to reach 10 million within a decade.
Negotiations with airlines are underway, Lluka said, with “strong interest” from major low-cost carriers.
The airport won’t focus only on the peak tourism season. It also aims to serve the large Albanian diaspora as almost a quarter of its population lives beyond its borders, he added.
“This airport is a mirror of our ambition,” Rama said last month as he toured the site. “The goal is for the entire development on the island and surrounding area to create a powerful magnet for Vlora and Albania.”