New direct flights launched to Slovakia, Italy

TIRANA, July 14 – Direct flights to Slovakia’s Bratislava and Italy’s Ancona are the newest destinations that have been launched at the Tirana International Airport, Albania’s sole international airport.
Some 200 tourists recently arrived from Bratislava on the first flight from Slovakia curious to see Albania and enjoy its sandy beaches. The weekly service is provided by Shkodra Travel&Tours travel agency and will operate on Mondays, TIA reports.
The scheduled flight will operate throughout the summer with a Boeing 737. This new route brings the number of foreign destinations reached by direct flight from Tirana to 19.
Meanwhile, as of 21 July, 2014, Tirana and Ancona will be connected by direct flight. The service will be scheduled twice weeklyدn Mondays and Fridaysءnd will be operated from and to Tirana International Airport (TIA) by the carrier Blue Panorama who will use a Boeing 737 for the route.
“Tirana International Airport is pleased to inform passengers that this important route has been restarted knowing that many Albanians living in that part of Italy will benefit from this service, especially during the summer,” said TIA’s Chief Executive Officer, Mr Rolf Castro-Vasquez.
The Airport is expecting an excellent summer in terms of passenger numbers and says it is working hard to promote Albania as a new destination and also to initiate new routes that are important for the more than a million Albanians living abroad.
Passenger numbers at Albania’s only international airport registered a turning point in 2013 when they overcame the moderate shrink in 2012, but aircraft movement and cargo traffic continued remaining at negative growth rates.
The Tirana International Airport, which since 2005 has been managed by a private consortium under a 20-year concession contract, reported a 5.5 percent increase in passenger numbers in 2013 and assured that the current year is following this trend despite the bankruptcy of the main local carrier BelleAir.
Starting April 2014, a new direct route linking Tirana to Frankfurt has also been launched. The route is scheduled for throughout the year with four return flights a week.