Tirana International Airport reaches new heights and achievements

TIRANA, Oct.25 -The first nine months of 2007 have recorded an impressive increase of 21 per cent in the number of passengers using Tirana International Airport N쯫 Tereza, compared with the same period last year. TIA has served 849,578 passengers, compared to 701,334 passengers for the first nine months of 2006, while the number of Air Traffic Movements (ATMs) is 6,834 compared to 6,030 up until end of September last year, reflecting an increase of 13 per cent.
Meanwhile, the volume of cargo processed has more than doubled, increasing by 105 per cent over the figure for the first nine months of 2006. So far this year, TIA has handled 2,828 tons of cargo compared with 1,377 tons for the same period in 2006.
“We are very pleased that the increase seen in our figures continues to be at such a high level. The finalization of projects undertaken to improve the infrastructure and services at Tirana International Airport guarantee that our rate of growth will be sustained in the foreseeable future. The fact that our achievements are correlated with, and at the same time act as an indicator for the developments that are taking place in Albania as a whole, makes us more motivated and optimistic,” said Andrea Gebbeken, Chief Executive Officer of TIA.
The start of operation earlier this year at TIA’s new facilities, such as the new passenger and cargo terminals, is considered one important factor contributing to this increase. Tirana International Airport seeks to further improve the quality and variety of services provided at the Airport.
Currently, fourteen scheduled airline companies fly in to and out of TIA, connecting the Albanian capital Tirana with 30 destinations in eleven different countries. The companies with the largest shares of passengers up to now have been Belleair (22.7%), Alitalia (19.6%), Albanian Airlines (15.2%), Austrian Airlines (8.9%) and Malev Hungarian