Albania’s Sole Intl Airport Wraps up 20 Mln Euro Terminal Extension Project

The project was implemented over the last two years, Albania's sole international airport said in a statement issued after the official launch of the terminal.

The extension adds 4,833 square metres to the terminal area, including new baggage handling facilities.

This is the second phase of the project. After the first phase, completed in 2007 and worth 50 million euro, the terminal's capacity was increased to handle 1.0 million passengers per year and 4,500 tonnes of cargo. The two phases of the project were financed by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), Italy's Intesa Sanpaolo Bank, Greeces's Alpha Bank and TIA shareholders.

The airport, located 25 kilometres northwest of Tirana, handled 1.267 million passengers in 2008, up 14.6% from 2007, and 1,987 tonnes of cargo, up 17.2%.

TIA has been managed by U.S.-German consortium Tirana International Airport under a 20-year build-own-operate-transfer concession since April 2005.

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