Albawings
Albanian low-cost airline
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Albawings was an Albanian low-cost airline headquartered in Tirana and based at Tirana International Airport Nënë Tereza.
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| Founded | February 2015 | ||||||
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| Commenced operations | September 2016 | ||||||
| Ceased operations | January 12, 2024 | ||||||
| Fleet size | 1 | ||||||
| Destinations | 7 | ||||||
| Headquarters | Tirana, Albania | ||||||
| Key people |
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| Employees | 72[citation needed] | ||||||
| Website | www | ||||||
History
Albawings was founded in February 2015.[1] AThe air carrier was awarded the Air Operator's Certificate (AOC) by the Albanian Civil Aviation Authority on 4 February 2016.[2][3] The first aircraft of the company was a Boeing 737-500, with which Albawings started operations, was christened "Spirit of Tirana".[4]
On 11 December 2016, a second aircraft was delivered by rock band frontman Bruce Dickinson. The leased plane was a Boeing 737-400 owned by Cardiff Aviation, and was christened Mr. Pitkin after Sir Norman Wisdom's character Norman Piktin. Wisdom was a notably popular actor in Albania during the communist years of Enver Hoxha, when the character was commonly referred to as "Mr. Pitkin" by Albanian audiences.[5]
On 12 January 2024, Albawings stopped flying and ceased operations due to strong competition from other carriers.[6][7][8]
Fleet
As of August 2025[update], Albawings operates the following aircraft:[9]
| Aircraft | In Service | Orders | Passengers | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C | Y | Total | ||||
| Boeing 737-400 | 1 | 188 | 188 | |||
| Total | 1 | |||||
| Aircraft | total | Introduced | Retired | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boeing 737-500 | 1 | 2016 | 2020 | stored in a hangar |
| Boeing 737-400 | 3 | 2016 | 2017 | leased from VVB Aviation Malta |
