By Rudina Hoxha
TIRANA, Oct. 18 – His name is Volker Muhle; he is up in the air most of his time. Being curious enough (and this is part of his motto in life) and sitting by the window of the airplane to see the seas and the mountains, he records approximately 100 flights per year and a total of 2000 flights in 20 years. I am sure his name rings a bell for many politicians and businessmen in Albania and Kosovo because they often choose his airliner to travel back and forth and a trip with his airliner can not be easily forgotten. Flying with his airliner is a bit costly but quality takes care of itself.
He says he is neutral to all the clients and to him, they are all equally treated. “I know and respect all the politicians in Albania but I keep a kind of distance towards them because they are clients like all the others. In the cases when they have a special profile, we make our best to fulfill it. But that’s it. Every client is equal to our eyes, there is not any priority for any party in Albania.” Muhle says with a determined tone.
In Albania and further, Muhle stands out as the General Manager of Austrian Airlines for Albania and Kosovo since April 2010 because he is a real professional model to be followed. Clearly structured, serious, reliable, efficient and fond of deadlines, the 50-year old German has been working for Austrian Airlines for 20 years now. He values time a lot and knows that achievements and success come only if you program your time.
In the airline industry, he started out in Frankfurt and after five years he moved to Paris and then in Vienna to reach Athens from 2004 to 2007 and then to Cairo from 2007-2010 as responsible for North Africa. In all these countries, he served as General Manager for Austrian Airlines.
He studied Political Science but destiny accidentally brought into contacts with the airline industry but that was a nice “accident.” “It is a job where you need to be curious. You learn something new every day as facing different cultures and mentalities and you meet new people like in Albania, for example” he said, adding “above all, this kind of job keeps one completely alive from the intellectual and mental point of view.”
As it is clear, Muhle has travelled the whole world but in Albania he has found a cozy place to work hard and live his own life in complete freedom.
” Now I am happy I am in Albania since 2010. Our business is profitable in this country. Granting the right to move freely in the Europe has been a great advantage for the Albanians and for us as well,” says Muhle.
“Oriented” – His Favorite Word
Like a real German, Muhle prefers to have a client-oriented staff as the motto of Austrian Airlines is.
In Albania, Austrian Airlines has a 12-person staff while in Kosovo as much as 10. “For me, it is very important to have a client-oriented team in order to serve to their needs to the maximum. Personally I believed that personal relations, combined with good offer and product, is key to success,” says the shrewd businessman.
Every day, he is dealing with Albanian clients, travel agencies, managers and corporate clients. Albanian citizens, politicians and businessmen travel not only in Vienna but even via Vienna to USA, Asia and other countries.
2012 looks fine for Austrian Airlines. He is satisfied with the business climate in Albania. “About 10 percent of our carriers are flying to Vienna while the other 90 percent are using Vienna as transit. We make money,” he says.
Though 14 carriers fly in and out of Tirana, all competitors, Muhle is calm with himself. “There is always competition and everybody has to struggle to survive,” he said.
In his view, the success of an entrepreneur depends on some simple rules which are hard to be stick to. In other words, easier said than done.
“Be serious, don’t lie about what you can offer to your client and what you cannot offer, be efficient and stick to the deadlines. From Asia to Brazil, from USA to the end of the world, these are universal rules in every industry but especially in the airline industry,” he says positively.
Especially in the airline industry, time management is part of success. Working 8 or 9 hours every day, Muhle tries his best to be efficient by turning to solution-oriented approaches. “In business, you have to take a decision, it might turn out to be wrong but you have to get going. You might be 50 percent wrong and 50 percent right. But don’t wait. Just act. This is a lesson which Albanians must learn when it comes to time management,” he says.
His Value System = Family + Football + Career
Definitely you must follow this ranking when it comes to his value system. “I live here with my wife, Catherine and my 6 years old son, Mathis. Family is my first value to be followed by my football team – Bremen – and then my professional career,” said Muhle with a shine on his face.
He has a house in Selita area in Tirana and he is on good terms with all the local Albanian neighbors. “I shop my groceries nearby like all my neighbors do. I lead a simple life,” he says.
It is his habit to leave Albania for holidays but not only at these occasions. He travels a lot as this is part of his job and life. He has traveled all over Albania as well. “I like especially the South, in particular Vlora and the isolated beaches between Saranda and Dhermi. I like to make barbecues out there and enjoy the freedom which only Albania can give to you.”
He turned 50 on April 15 amidst his closest Albanian and foreign friends and above all his wife and son at Vila 100 in Tirana.
His wife makes a very active social life in Albania. As soon as she came to our country, she decided to learn Albanian language. She is learning it at Linkon Center where she goes three times per week. Born in Vietnam, Catherine is French. She soon got an offer from an Albanian agency and her job is to bring more foreigners She is in touch with French, Belgian and Swiss tour operators to bring more tourists to Albania. This is PR for Albania. She is a fighter for her objectives.
Muhle’s Many Likes in Albania and One Very Dislike
He likes Albanian food and the frankness of people. But even the soccer. So, he is always somewhere at the Albanian stadiums to enjoy the matches. “I get satisfaction from the soccer. Here in Albania, I attend all the Albanian football matches,” he says.
Once a week, he plays tennis. On weekends, it is already a habit of Muhle couple to invite Albanian and foreign friends for a chat and snacks which are excellently prepared by Catherine.
As a businessman, who racks his brain all the time about how to make service better and better, he says that the service culture needs to be improved in Albania.
“A new service culture in the tourist industry could create thousands of new jobs what the country, youngsters and unemployed people really need,” he says confidently.
A Message for the Albanian Youth
He has noticed many Albanian youngsters spending a lot of time as smoking and drinking coffees at former Bllok bars. And he gets concerned about them. “I have a message especially for the youngsters in Albania: less time spent at Bllok area and more work. Too many coffees and not much work to secure a normal job. I know that they have their part of their families in Italy or Greece or US and they get support from them in some way but this is not the essence of life which is to work independently and be more ambitious.”
