The gate to the “second Croatia”. The new airport is waiting for the opening

Albania – a post -communist country that wants to be a “second Croatia”, for now develops its tourism, attracting cheap carriers to the existing airport in Tirana. For some time, there has been talk of an investment that is to drive a traffic in resorts on the Adriatic coast.

Passengers and entrepreneurs are waiting for the opening of the international airport of Wlora.

The airport in Wlora is to start in May

Although the airport was to be opened in March, the ribbon cutting date moved.

On April 24, the Minister of Infrastructure and Energy Belinda Balluk in the Edi Frame’s office opened the secret, although she did not provide a specific opening date.

“Today, only a few days away from the landing of the first aircraft at Wlora airport. At the beginning of May, Air Albania will perform an inaugural flight, landing on the largest runway in the Balkans, with a terminal with an area of ​​22,000 square meters,” said Deputy Prime Minister Albania.

According to the minister, long -term forecasts indicate a significant increase in tourists’ interest in this region. The number of visitors in the first four months of 2025 has already increased by 30 percent. compared to the same period in 2024.

Problems around the investment

The new airport is to open access to one of the most visited coastal areas of the country. Its scale and strategic location are to transform regional travels and logistics. The Coast of Albania stretches over a length of 380 km, both along the Adriatic and the Ionian Sea.

The fact that the investment is a threat to bird habitats living on the Laguna skis is controversial. According to Politiko.al, the subsidiary of Munich Airport GmbH, Munich International Airport, which was the adviser in the airport project, therefore intends to withdraw from this undertaking at the end of April. The investment was strongly criticized by naturalists, animal lovers and EU institutions.