Vlora International Airport (alternatively spelled Vlorë International Airport) is an airport under construction since 2021 in the

Vjosa-Narta Protected Landscape The Vjosa-Narta Protected Landscape ( sq, Peisazh i Mbrojtur Vjosë-Nartë) is a protected landscape area in southwestern Albania. It covers a total area of , encompassing the lagoon of Narta along with the estuary of the Vjosë and its surroun ...

, 10 km north of the city of

Vlorë Vlorë ( , ; sq-definite, Vlora) is the third most populous city of the Republic of Albania and seat of Vlorë County and Vlorë Municipality. Located in southwestern Albania, Vlorë sprawls on the Bay of Vlorë and is surrounded by the foo ...

Albania Albania ( ; sq, Shqipëri or ), or , also or . officially the Republic of Albania ( sq, Republika e Shqipërisë), is a country in Southeastern Europe. It is located on the Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea and shares ...

. This airport will be the third international airport in

after

Tirana International Airport Tirana ( , ; aln, Tirona) is the capital and largest city of Albania. It is located in the centre of the country, enclosed by mountains and hills with Dajti rising to the east and a slight valley to the northwest overlooking the Adriatic Sea ...

and

Kukës International Airport Kukës ( sq-definite, Kukësi) is a city in the Republic of Albania. The city is the capital of the surrounding municipality of Kukës and county of Kukës, one of 12 constituent counties of the republic. It spans and had a total population of 1 ...

. The project also includes the construction of a marina and agri-tourism site as part of the airport.

History

On 17 January 2018, the Turkish-consortium that built the

Istanbul Airport Istanbul Airport ( tr, İstanbul Havalimanı, ) is the main international airport serving Istanbul, Turkey. It is located in the Arnavutköy district on the European side of the city. All scheduled commercial passenger flights were transfer ...

, offered to build Vlorë Airport in a regional project that also paves the way for Albania to set up its national flag carrier (

Air Albania Air Albania is the flag carrier of Albania. The airline maintains its hub and company headquarters at the Tirana International Airport Nënë Tereza in Tirana, Albania. Founded in 2018, it operates scheduled air services for passengers to thirt ...

) and reduce current ticket prices. The Turkish joint venture consortium of Cengiz-Kolin- Limak-Mapa- Kalyon offered to build the airport as part of the assistance the Albanian government has been receiving from the Turkish government and

Turkish Airlines Turkish Airlines ( Turkish: ''Türk Hava Yolları'') is the national flag carrier airline of Turkey. , it operates scheduled services to 340 destinations in Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Americas, making it the largest mainline carrier in the ...

. However, the Turkish consortium decided to withdraw from the initiative a year later. In September 2019, a new project was unveiled by the Albanian Government consisting in the construction of a marina and retail complex including an

agritourism Agritourism or agrotourism involves any agriculturally based operation or activity that brings visitors to a farm or ranch. Types A 2018 article published in the ''Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development'' classified a ...

site. The tender for the construction of the airport was temporarily suspended by the

Albanian government Albania is a unitary parliamentary constitutional republic, where the President of Albania is the head of state and the Prime Minister of Albania the head of government in a multi-party system. The executive power is exercised by the Government a ...

on 31 March 2020 due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...

. A consortium made up of

Behgjet Pacolli Behgjet Isa Pacolli ; sh, Behđet Isa Pacoli. (born 30 August 1951) is a Kosovar Albanian politician and businessman who served as the first deputy prime minister of Kosovo and minister of foreign affairs from 2017 to 2019 under the Ramush Hara ...

's ''Mabco Constructions'', the Turkish ''YDA Group'' and the Kosovar ''2A Group Shpk'' was the winner of the international tender and the contract was signed on 20 April 2021. Prior to the commencement of the construction of the airport, environment and archaeological studies were carried out. The construction of the airport will take 36 months and the project includes the construction of a 3.2 km runway, hangar for aircraft maintenance and cargo service. The work for the construction of the airport was launched officially on 28 November 2021 with a completion target time of April 2024.

Environmental concerns

The building of the Vlora Airport inside the Vjosa-Narta Protected Area is in contradiction with national laws and international biodiversity protection conventions that Albania has ratified. The

is a candidate for the Emerald site network, which provides shelter to more than 62 species of birds listed in the EU Birds directive. The Bern Convention called on the Albanian Government to review the plans to build an airport inside the Vjosa-Narta Protected Area. The new airport is planned to accommodate wide-body aircraft and will be the biggest airport in the country. It is expected to have a major impact on economic growth and

tourism Tourism is travel for pleasure or business; also the theory and practice of touring, the business of attracting, accommodating, and entertaining tourists, and the business of operating tours. The World Tourism Organization defines tourism mor ...

, but on the other hand, a grave negative impact on the biodiversity of the area as the airport will be located entirely in the

Narta Lagoon The Lagoon of Narta ( sq, Laguna e Nartës) is a lagoon of the Adriatic Sea on the Mediterranean Sea in the central coast of Albania. The lagoon extends north of the Bay of Vlorë on the eastern shore of the Strait of Otranto and is separated from ...

, which is a protected area in Albania. Environmentalists have expressed their concern about the possible collision of airplanes with birds, as Narta Lagoon is a major breeding and living place of migratory birds.

References

External links

Vlora International Airport Project at Mabetex Official WebsiteOfficial website of Vlora International Airport
Airports in Albania

Buildings and structures in Vlorë Proposed transport infrastructure in Albania {{Albania-airport-stub

History

Environmental concerns

See also

References

External links