TIRANA, Dec. 19 – The construction of the Vlora Airport will begin on May 31 next year. At the ceremony, the cabinet ministers announced the opening of an international tender for the project that appears to be a BOT (Build-Operate, Transfer) concession with a 35-year term. The Minister of Infrastructure and Energy, Belinda Balluku, said that this process was given special attention, emphasizing that the working groups were careful not to repeat the same mistakes made with the Rinas Airport contract.
“We have designed an international tender for an international airport that guarantees equality. We plan for Albania to become an access point for transatlantic countries such as Canada, the USA or wherever distances are able to be covered, therefore creating wider access to the Albanian diaspora. The terms and conditions after the negotiation phase will guarantee that Vlora International Airport (VIA) will be an airport that will have a direct impact on the economy,” said Balluku. According to her, companies will have to submit bids by March 12, 2020.
The Minister of Finance and Economy, Anila Denaj, spoke about the chain effect of this project on the economy of the area. “This investment is a catalyst for the whole economy and especially for the whole of the South. We pay special attention to the tourism sector, but this is not the only sector that will be developed through the project. The impact on the economy of an airport, according to general studies, leads to a 10 percent increase in the economy of the area and 0.5 per cent of GDP per capita, as well as a 20-25 percent increase in employment at the time of implementation. Investing in this airport is the first step, which will then attract even more investments. This airport will hopefully affect investments in other areas such as healthcare or other infrastructure projects and we think that all this opportunity will be an opportunity for the increase of employment as well. We have to start working on employment because all these investments want a qualified labor force,” Denaj said.
