Kukes Airport will is an airport for low-cost flights and the first destinations will be Germany, Switzerland and Italy. This is according to the information given by Minister of Infrastructure Belinda Balluku on Facebook. The first flight will take place on 18 April from the UK to Albania. Fights between the two destinations are currently suspended and it’s illegal for people to travel from the UK, abroad for holidays. Those that do travel are required to quarantine for two weeks else face stiff financial penalties. The minister said that employees of the airport will be from the local area (Kukes) with the exception of technical staff. She said that on 20 April, the government will sign the contract for the construction of the Vlora Airport. The Vlora Airport plans have resulted in criticism from environmental groups who state that it would cause “irreversible damage to the ecosystem of the Vjosa-Narte Protected Landscape.” The International Union of Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has listed the region as a Category V protected landscape. This means it has a distinct and valuable character in terms of its ecological, biological, cultural, aesthetic, and other features. It is also in the Albanian Protected Area Network, is an Important Bird Area, and a Key Biodiversity Area. It almost meets the criteria to be classified as a Wetland of International Importance. It has even been nominated by the government as a candidate site for the Emerald Network under the Bern Convention. https://exit.al/en/2021/04/17/kukes-airport-will-operate-with-low-cost-flights/

Prime Minister Edi Rama took the first flight from Tirana to the new Kukes International Airport Zayed on Sunday, 150km far from the capital. The launching of the airport operations was done one week ahead of general elections in the country. Rama had promised to have the first London-Kukes flight before elections, but today’s Air Albania flight landed in Tirana first, where Rama boarded it, and then flew to Kukes. He was welcomed by hundreds of Socialist Party supporters at the new airport. In the electoral rally held on the occasion, the Prime Minister said the airport will be able to start international operations in “50-60 days”. He claimed that “all airports first start operation as local ones”. Minister of Transport Belinda Balluku said that the private company that built the airport will get in touch with airline companies, which will be able to use the airport starting from June 17. She added that direct connections from Kukes will include Germany, Switzerland and Great Britain but didn’t clarify what airline companies have decided to establish connections with Kukes. Rama said there is a big interest by international airlines to start flights with Kukes. No details were given what companies have expressed interest. Last week, the Committee of Experts overseeing the pandemic recommended the government to resume flights with the UK, after their positive assessment of the COVID-19 situation there. Immediately after, the government announced it was allowing flights from the UK after a 4-month ban, adding that the first flight from London to Kukes would take place on April 18. The flight was expected to bring to their home city 132 UK residents, according to Balluku’s announcement last week, but less that 40 passengers appeared on the flight from Tirana to Kukes on Sunday. It remains unclear whether construction works at the airport are completed, and whether the airport has been certified nationally to launch operations. https://exit.al/en/2021/04/18/new-kukes-airport-welcomes-rama-aboard-the-first-flight-from-tirana/

Commercial flights resumed at Albania’s Tirana International Airport on Friday after they were blocked for two days by an air traffic controllers’ strike. The first commercial flight with passengers left the airport for Italy on Friday at 9:05 a.m. (0705 GMT). Only “essential” flights took place the previous day. Those included a plane bringing a batch of virus vaccines. The government has hired Turkish and Greek controllers to replace the local ones. The controllers, who are seeking a pay rise, have avoided calling their action a strike, as that is not allowed under Albanian law, instead declaring a temporary inability to work due to stress. Prime Minister Edi Rama said two groups of controllers from Turkey and Greece would “work together to continue the operation.” Many Albanian controllers have agreed to resume work, he added. The government considered the controllers’ walkout illegal. Three controllers have been detained and are being probed on suspicion of abuse of post. Twenty-seven others were also questioned. The controllers’ union says their pay has been cut by 62% over the past year due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Over the same period, Albania’s air traffic has fallen by 57%, according Infrastructure Minister Belinda Balluku. The minister said air traffic controllers are paid $2,490 a month — five times the country’s average salary of about $500. The incident has also turned into a political issue as there is a parliamentary election in the country on April 25. https://apnews.com/article/turkey-albania-coronavirus-pandemic-tirana-air-traffic-control-d10275b1c06ee18d4f9127d110e95325