Tirana International Airport tests new passenger terminal

RINAS, Feb.24 – Tirana International Airport (TIA) has successfully tested the functionality of its new terminal, a statement said Monday. On two occasions, Saturdays 10 and 24 February 2007, a total of more than 300 people gathered at the Airport to take part in trials designed to test the operations at Albania’s latest infrastructure. The purpose of the trials was to ensure the operational readiness of the terminal in time for its opening on 21 March 2007. All systems were tested fully and the trials gave TIA the opportunity to demonstrate the smoothness of the operations at the new building to all stakeholders, including the general public. The tests were undertaken by the Airport’s Operational Readiness And Transfer (ORAT) team, part of TIA’s Operation Division, and supported by HOCHTIEF AirPort, the major shareholder of TIA. Such trials fall under three general categories – basic (core processes), advanced (coordination of systems and processes) and fallback and emergency (worst case scenarios) – and all were tested with six rounds of fifteen simulated flight plans.
“Such testing is crucial for the functionality of the new terminal, and we are very happy with the results. With one month to go before the inauguration no major problems were reported from the pre-opening trials. I would like to thank all participants, who acted as real passengers and gave us very useful feedback. The whole system ran like clockwork, which gives us confidence that the opening will go ahead on time,” said Mr. Rolf Castro-Vasquez, TIA Chief Operation Officer.
Participants representative of a wide cross-section of society were gathered from two Tirana shopping centers (ETC and QTU) where they had registered for the trials for which the only requirement was the holding of a valid passport. Their ages ranged from six to 86 years. Even though the majority of the trial passengers had never flown before, all found their way easily through the simulated departures and arrivals at TIA. The passengers were each equipped with luggage, which they checked-in prior to departure. After passing through security checks and passport control they proceeded to the gate where they waiting some minutes before leaving the terminal to board their aircraft. They were then accompanied into the arrivals hall where the procedures were also tested successfully.
Since April 23, 2005, overall responsibility for the development, operation and management of Tirana International Airport has been in the hands of Tirana International Airport SHPK (TIA), an Albanian company under German-American ownership. The shareholders are HOCHTIEF AirPort, DEG Deutsche Investitions- und Entwicklungsgesellschaft and the Albanian-American Enterprise Fund. Backed by the shareholders’ expertise in airport management and financing, TIA has set itself the goal of expanding the airport and setting new standards of comfort, convenience and service. By the end of 2007, more than EUR 50 million will have been invested in the airport. Construction works for a new passenger terminal, a new cargo terminal and a new access road will be completed by spring 2007.