TIA extends terminal, increases capacity

TIRANA, Sep 9 – Albania’s Mother Teresa Tirana International Airport on Wednesday inaugurated the expansion of its passenger terminal with 20 million ($28.8 million) creating a capacity for 1.5-1.8 million passengers per year.
The TIA held an inauguration ceremony in the presence of nearly 300 guests at a gala ceremony, including Prime Minister Sali Berisha, senior state officials, representatives of TIA shareholders and Company employees.
“Following a combined construction period that lasted nearly two years the new terminal is now fully operational, and has opened as scheduled,” said a statement.
The extension adds a further 4,833 square meters taking the overall volume of the building to 40,000 cubic meters housing new check-in counters, new gates, new shops, a bar, new bank and new exchange unit increasing the passenger capacity to 1.5-1.8 million per year.
The terminal, which was launched two years ago with a financing of 70 million ($100.9 million) arranged with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development as principal lender supported by Intesa Sanpaolo Bank, Alpha Bank and DEG, is now fully operational.
The construction team comprised workers from various countries: the construction itself was undertaken to British Standards by Albanian contractors Trema Engineering 2 SHPK, and design review and construction supervision by German company DIWI Consult International GmbH, following the original architecture of Malaysian Hin Tan.
In 2005, the airport’s operations were taken over by a German-U.S. consortium, made up of Hochtief AirPort, DEG Deutsche Investitions und Entwicklungsgesellschaft, and the Albanian-American Enterprise Fund, that in 2007 built new passenger and cargo terminals and a 6.5-kilometer (4-mile) access road near capital Tirana.
Fourteen airlines connect Tirana directly with 31 destinations.