Vlora International Airport
Airport under construction in Albania
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Vlora International Airport (Albanian: Aeroporti Ndërkombëtar i Vlorës, IATA: VLO, ICAO: LAVL) is an international airport project near Akërni and Novoselë, around 10 km (6.2 mi) north of Vlorë, Albania. It is planned as Albania's third international airport and as a gateway for southern Albania, the Vlorë region and the Albanian Riviera. The airport has a 3,200 m (10,500 ft) runway and a terminal reported to have capacity for up to two million passengers per year.[1][2]
- Mabco Constructions SA (98%)
- 2A Group SH.P.K. (2%)
Vlora International Airport Aeroporti Ndërkombëtar i Vlorës | |||||||||||
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| Summary | |||||||||||
| Airport type | Public | ||||||||||
| Owner |
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| Operator | Vlora International Airport SHPK | ||||||||||
| Serves | Vlorë, Albania | ||||||||||
| Location | Akërni, Novoselë, Vlorë County, Albania | ||||||||||
| Opened | Not yet in scheduled commercial operation; first certification flight on 8 May 2025 | ||||||||||
| Elevation AMSL | 8 ft (2.4 m) | ||||||||||
| Coordinates | 40°36′20″N 19°25′34″E | ||||||||||
| Website | vlora-airport | ||||||||||
| Map | |||||||||||
.svg)  VLO Location of airport in Albania | |||||||||||
| Runways | |||||||||||
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The project is being developed under a 35-year concession awarded in 2021 to a consortium originally comprising Mabco Constructions, part of Mabetex Group, Turkey's YDA Group and Kosovo-based 2A Group SH.P.K.[3] It has been promoted by successive governments led by Prime Minister Edi Rama as a strategic tourism and transport investment, but has also become one of Albania's most disputed infrastructure projects because of its location in the Vjosa–Narta wetland area, the public-private partnership terms, allegations of irregularities in the tender and a later dispute between shareholders.[4][5]
A first certification flight landed at the airport on 8 May 2025, in an event attended by Rama and Infrastructure and Energy Minister Belinda Balluku.[6][7] However, commercial operations were later delayed. In April 2026, Albanian Daily News reported that Vlora Airport would not start flights during the 2026 summer season and that charter contracts had been cancelled.[8] In July 2026, aviation press reported that the Scandinavian tour operator Ving had cancelled planned summer charter flights because the airport still lacked the necessary international operating permits.[9]
History
Earlier proposals
The idea of constructing an international airport in the Vlorë area was discussed for several years before the current concession was awarded. In 2017 and 2018, the Albanian government pursued negotiations with a Turkish-backed consortium including Cengiz Holding, Kalyon Holding and Kolin Construction. According to reporting by the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP), Rama had discussed the project with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, and the government drafted legislation to accelerate negotiations for a long-term operating contract. The plan raised concerns in Brussels and was later dropped without a detailed public explanation.[4]
A new international tender was launched after the collapse of the earlier Turkish-backed plan. In March 2020, the tender process was suspended during the COVID-19 pandemic, with the government saying that it would wait for more favourable conditions. A new procedure followed in late 2020 and early 2021.[4]
2021 concession
In March 2021, the Albanian government announced that a consortium led by Mabco Constructions had won the tender for the construction, operation and maintenance of Vlora International Airport. The project was valued at about €103.9 million and was structured as a 35-year concession.[3] The consortium initially included Mabco Constructions, YDA Group and 2A Group SH.P.K.; the concession contract was signed on 20 April 2021.[10]
The airport was designed for a 3,200 m (10,500 ft) runway, a passenger terminal, cargo and aircraft maintenance facilities, and related access roads. The site covers around 309 hectares, partly in the area of an old military airstrip near Akërni.[1] The Albanian government and the concessionaire presented the project as a way to boost tourism, employment and international access to southern Albania. Construction works were formally launched on 28 November 2021, Albania's Independence Day, with a ceremony attended by Rama.[4]
The concession was controversial from the beginning because it included a revenue-guarantee mechanism. Exit News reported that the contract required the Albanian state to compensate the concessionaire if the airport failed to reach expected financial returns, with potential public payments of up to €138 million over the concession period.[10] OCCRP also reported that government documents warned that the airport might not attract enough traffic to become profitable in the short term and that the financial-risk allocation exposed taxpayers to future compensation claims.[4]
Construction, certification and delays
Construction continued from 2021 through 2025. The runway was reported to be 3,200 m (10,500 ft) long and 60 m (200 ft) wide, while the terminal was reported at about 22,000 m2 (240,000 sq ft), larger than initially planned.[2][7] The first certification flight landed at the airport on 8 May 2025.[6]
Government officials initially presented the certification flight as a step toward the launch of commercial services during the 2025 tourist season. However, the airport did not enter regular scheduled operation that year. In December 2025, SeeNews reported that Sunclass Airlines, through the tour operator Ving, planned summer 2026 charter services from Scandinavian cities to Vlorë.[11] Those plans were later cancelled. Albanian Daily News reported in April 2026 that the airport would not begin flights during summer 2026,[8] and Aviation.Direct reported in July 2026 that Ving cancelled the planned charter programme because international operating permits were still pending.[9]
In May 2026, Infrastructure Minister Enea Karakaçi said that construction works had been stalled by a shareholder dispute and court proceedings between Mabco Constructions and 2A Group. SeeNews reported that Karakaçi described the dispute as internal to the concessionaire but acknowledged that it had affected the construction schedule.[12]
Facilities
The airport is planned with one asphalt runway, numbered 12/30, measuring 3,200 m (10,500 ft). This would make it one of the longest runways in Albania and suitable for narrow-body aircraft and some wide-body operations, subject to certification and operational restrictions.[2] The terminal building has been reported as approximately 22,000 m2 (240,000 sq ft), with projected annual capacity of up to two million passengers.[2][1]
The airport site lies in a low-lying coastal area near the Narta Lagoon and the Vjosa-Narta Protected Landscape. Government and project materials have described sustainability features including solar-energy generation and environmental management measures, while environmental organisations have disputed whether the measures are sufficient for the ecological sensitivity of the site.[6][1]
Concession and governance controversies
Politically connected consortium
The concession has been repeatedly scrutinised by investigative media and opposition politicians. OCCRP described the winning consortium as politically connected, noting that Mabetex is controlled by Kosovar businessman and former Kosovo president Behgjet Pacolli, who has publicly maintained friendly relations with Rama, while YDA Group's chairman Hüseyin Arslan has had links to political figures in Turkey's ruling AKP.[4] OCCRP also reported that YDA built a hospital near Fier after Erdoğan ordered the company to complete the project within three months, and that the airport tender was awarded after that hospital project was inaugurated.[4]
Valon Lluka, a representative of the winning consortium, rejected OCCRP's findings and said the reporting was based on "gossip and speculation". Pacolli also denied that the consortium had received preferential treatment, saying his investment was motivated by a wish to contribute to Albania.[4]
Tender allegations and rival bidder complaint
OCCRP reported that the rival bidder, United Kingdom-based ALDE Corporation Limited, filed a civil suit alleging that Albanian authorities had changed the tender criteria to favour the YDA-Mabco-2A consortium. The rival bidder also lodged a complaint with Albanian anti-corruption prosecutors, accusing officials of document fabrication.[4] According to OCCRP, the Ministry of Infrastructure and Energy was ordered by a court in 2021 to provide tender documents requested through freedom of information procedures, but had not done so at the time of the report.[4]
The timing of the contract also drew political criticism. The agreement was signed in April 2021, shortly before the 2021 Albanian parliamentary election. OCCRP reported that opposition representatives accused the government of using the signing as an election-period promotional event and of violating election laws, while the government promoted the project as a development milestone for the south of the country.[4]
SPAK investigation
In July 2025, the Special Structure against Corruption and Organized Crime (SPAK) confirmed that it had registered criminal proceedings relating to the Vlora airport concession.[13][14] The investigation was separate from, but politically connected to, wider public debate over major infrastructure tenders handled by the Ministry of Infrastructure and Energy during Balluku's term as minister.
In April 2026, Albanian Daily News reported that SPAK had filed charges over alleged irregularities in the Vlora Airport concession against officials who had served on the bid-evaluation commission.[15] BalkanWeb reported that SPAK suspected a violation of equality in tenders and a predetermined winner.[16] The reports concerned allegations and criminal proceedings; as of July 2026, no final court judgment had established criminal liability in relation to the concession.
The investigation developed in the same period as the separate SPAK case against Balluku over other public tenders. Reuters reported in February 2026 that Rama dismissed Balluku from the government after she had been indicted in a corruption investigation involving public tenders worth more than €200 million, while Balluku denied wrongdoing.[17]
Shareholder dispute
The concessionaire's ownership structure changed after the original award. The winning consortium was initially formed by Mabco Constructions, YDA Group and 2A Group, but later reports stated that YDA withdrew and sold its stake, leaving the project dominated by Mabco and 2A Group.[12][18] By 2026, official shareholding was reported as 98% for Mabco Constructions and 2% for 2A Group, although 2A Group claimed that its investments entitled it to a much larger share.[12][18]
The dispute affected the project schedule. Albanian Daily News reported in May 2026 that the conflict began after 2A Group claimed control over 47% of the airport's shares and that since September 2025 Mabco's administrative-control rights had been suspended by court decisions.[18] SeeNews reported that the dispute and court proceedings stalled works in May 2026.[12] Mabco and 2A Group publicly blamed each other for delays and contractual breaches, while the Albanian government said the dispute should be resolved through the courts.[19]
Environmental controversy
Vjosa-Narta Protected Landscape
The airport site is located in or adjacent to the Vjosa-Narta Protected Landscape, a coastal wetland system that includes the Narta Lagoon, the Vjosa delta and habitats used by migratory birds on the Adriatic flyway. Environmental organisations have described the area as an Important Bird Area and a candidate for the Emerald Network under the Bern Convention.[1][10]
Environmental groups argue that the airport threatens wetland habitats through land conversion, noise, air and water pollution, and increased risk of bird strikes. The Associated Press reported that the lagoons are used by millions of migratory birds and by up to 3,000 flamingos and pelicans each year.[1] Conservationists including the Protection and Preservation of Natural Environment in Albania (PPNEA), the Albanian Ornithological Society and EuroNatur have argued that the airport contradicts Albania's national protected-area legislation and international biodiversity obligations.[1][20]
The Albanian government has defended the location by pointing to the existence of an earlier airstrip in the area and to promised mitigation measures. The Ministry of Tourism and Environment told the Associated Press that the site had been selected after consultations and that environmental protection measures would be applied.[1] The concessionaire has also maintained that the airport would not cause environmental degradation.[4]
European Union and Bern Convention criticism
The airport has been criticised in European Union and Council of Europe processes. The European Commission's 2024 Albania Report stated that construction continued inside the Pishe Poro-Narta Protected Area despite a Bern Convention request to suspend works until a new and sufficient environmental impact assessment procedure was conducted.[21] The European Commission's 2025 report again said that construction was advancing despite the Standing Committee of the Bern Convention's requests in December 2023 and December 2024 to suspend works until a new and sufficient EIA procedure was conducted, and stated that the project conflicted with EU habitats and birds directives.[5]
In a March 2025 answer to a parliamentary question, the European Commission said it had repeatedly raised concerns about construction of the airport in the Vjosa-Narta Protected Area and that Albania, as an EU candidate country, must align with the EU environmental acquis and progressively adopt EU environmental standards.[22]
Legal challenges and protests
In 2022, PPNEA and the Albanian Ornithological Society filed a lawsuit against Albanian authorities challenging the airport contract. Balkan Insight reported that the organisations sought the cancellation of the contract, arguing that the project violated environmental law and Albania's international obligations.[20] In January 2023, EuroNatur reported that the administrative court had declared the lawsuit inadmissible after a short non-public session, a decision criticised by environmentalists.[23] Later court proceedings continued, and Citizens.al reported in November 2025 that the Administrative Court of Appeal had returned the case for review.[24]
Environmentalists also organised protests in Albania and campaigned internationally against the project. Balkan Insight reported in September 2023 that activists protested against the airport in Tirana and urged the government to halt works.[25]
In 2025, Munich Airport International, which had been involved in an advisory role, ended its involvement in the project after criticism from environmental organisations and political debate in Germany. EuroNatur and other conservation groups described the withdrawal as a success for the campaign against the airport.[26][27]
Airlines and destinations
Economic role and related development
The airport has been promoted by the Albanian government as a catalyst for tourism, employment and real-estate development in southern Albania. Officials have argued that it would shorten travel times to Vlorë, the Riviera and other coastal destinations, while creating jobs during construction and operation.[6][1] The project has also been linked by media and analysts to wider tourism and luxury-real-estate plans along the southern Albanian coast and around the Vjosa-Narta region.[4]
Critics argue that the economic-benefit claims have not justified the ecological and public-finance risks. OCCRP reported that the state's own feasibility documents warned that passenger traffic could be insufficient for early profitability and that the revenue-guarantee clause could transfer significant risk to the public budget.[4] Environmental organisations have argued that sustainable tourism based on the wetland's natural value would be more compatible with the area's protected status than an international airport and associated mass-tourism development.[1][10]