Dutch leisure airline of the TUI Group introduces new weekly service
TIRANA, May 20 – ArkeFly, the Dutch leisure airline of the TUI Group, has introduced a new service for Albania with a direct flight between Amsterdam and Tirana International Airport (TIA). The Dutch carrier will operate the service in the summer with a once weekly return flight. The carrier will use a Boeing 737 for the route which will make a major contribution to tourism in Albania by bringing in more visitors particularly from the Netherlands. Passengers can expect to make the journey in two hours and 40 minutes, says TIA in a statement.
“We are very happy with the launch of this new direct route between Tirana and Amsterdam. With the new service we are offering a convenient and comfortable connection to our customers. We welcome the new carrier and are proud to offer our top quality services at the Airport in ensuring comfort and a warm welcome to tourists to Albania and to those flying to the Netherlands,” said Rolf Castro-Vasquez, chief Operations Officer of TIA.
Albanian’s Tourism and Culture Minister Visar Zhiti and Captain Peter Schoof of the inaugural flight participated in the ribbon-cutting ceremony.
“I consider this route as an important step towards more people discovering Albania as a unique destination and a significant contribution to tourism development this summer. I wish success to all the partners involved and may many other new routes be opened,” said Zhiti.
Based in Amsterdam, ArkeFlyis flies to more than 70 destinations worldwide, including favourite holiday locations around the Mediterranean, the Caribbean, Africa, Asia, and North and South America.
TIA has become more and more attractive to new airlines as a result of its top quality standards and the efficiency of its operations.
Currently, twelve airlines fly in to and out of TIA, connecting the Albanian capital directly with 32 destinations. The most frequented ones as final destination or transfer points were Rome, Milan, Vienna, London and Pisa.
In 2012, the airlines carrying most passengers to and from Tirana were Belle Air (50.1 percent), Alitalia (9.6 percent), Air One (9.6 percent), Austrian Airlines (8.1 percent) and Turkish Airlines (5.5 percent).
Germany’s Hochtief, which has majority stakes in leading airports in five countries, including Albania’s Tirana International Airport (TIA) has sold its shares to Canada’s Public Sector Pension Investment Board (PSP Investments) for Euro 1.5 billion.
