Tirana International Airport Nënë Tereza Explained

Tirana International Airport
Mother Teresa
Image2-Width:250
Iata:TIA
Icao:LATI
Type:Public
Owner-Oper:Tirana International Airport SHPK and Kastrati Group[1]
City-Served:Tirana, Tirana County, Albania
Location:Rinas, Durrës County, Albania
Hub:
Focus City:Ryanair
Elevation-F:108
Elevation-M:33
Coordinates:41.4147°N 19.7206°W
Pushpin Map:Albania#Mediterranean#Europe
Pushpin Map Caption:Location in Albania##Location in the Mediterranean##Location in Europe
Pushpin Label:TIA
Pushpin Label Position:right
Metric-Rwy:y
R1-Number:17/35
R1-Length-F:9,022
R1-Length-M:2,750
R1-Surface:Asphalt
Stat-Year:2023
Stat1-Header:Passengers
Stat1-Data:7,257,662[2]
Stat2-Header:Passenger change 22–23
Stat2-Data: 39.6%
Stat3-Header:Aircraft movements
Stat3-Data:51,050
Stat4-Header:Movements change 22–23
Stat4-Data: 32.5%
Footnotes:Source: Albanian AIP at EUROCONTROL[3] LATI Airport record[4]

Tirana International Airport Nënë Tereza (Albanian: Aeroporti Ndërkombëtar i Tiranës Nënë Tereza,), often referred to as the Rinas International Airport, is one of the two main international airports of the Republic of Albania. It serves the city of Tirana, its metropolitan area, and surrounding region in the county of Tirana. The airport is named in honor of the Albanian Roman Catholic nun and missionary, Mother Teresa (1910–1997). It is located 6NM northwest of Tirana, in the municipality of Krujë, Durrës County.[5] [6]

The airport serves as the main hub for the Wizz Air and country's flag carrier Air Albania.[7] Tirana international airport offers regularly scheduled passenger services. It is the largest airport in Albania and is one of the busiest Balkan airports after reaching 7.2 million passengers in 2023.[8] [9] Albania's other main airport is Kukës International Airport located in the northeast of the country.

History

Early development

The airport was constructed from 1955 to 1957. Tirana had commercial airline services before. Domestic aviation started in 1926 when German airline Adria-Aero-Lloyd obtained a monopoly for domestic air routes in the country and began servicing Tirana, Shkodër, Korçë and Vlorë. These operations proved unprofitable, and the airline sold its rights to Italian company Ala Littoria which opened regular routes in 1935 between Tirana to Shkodër, Kukës, Peshkopia, Kuçova, Vlorë, and Gjirokastra.[10] In 1938, the Yugoslav carrier Aeroput introduced regular commercial flights linking Tirana with Belgrade, Serbia, with a landing in Dubrovnik, Croatia.[11]

After the Second World War and installation of an isolationist communist regime in Albania, air transportation was rare. From 1944 to 1948, there was a service to Belgrade, but after the break of relations with Yugoslavia, until 1953, there was only a twice-a-month connection to Budapest operated by Soviet-Hungarian company Maszovlet. From 1953 to 1955, there was no air service, until February 1955 when a route to Moscow was inaugurated, followed thereafter to other Eastern-European capitals. In the 1970s, Tirana was one of the first European cities to be served by China's CAAC Airlines, with a weekly flight to Beijing via Bucharest and Tehran. In the late 1980s, there were six airlines flying to Tirana, with a total of nine round-trips per week.

With the collapse of communism in Albania in 1991 and subsequent liberalisation of travel restrictions abroad for Albanians, the number of airlines operating at the airport increased rapidly. In 1999, there were 8,249 flights and 356,823 passengers, seven times more than in 1991.

Contemporary

The air traffic equipment and facilities of the airport have been heavily modernised, following investments by Tirana International Airport SHPK, a consortium led by Hochtief AirPort. Hochtief assumed management of the airport on 23 April 2005, for a 20-year concession period.[12]

The concession included the construction of a completely new passenger terminal and various infrastructure improvements, among them the construction of a new access road, new parking lots, and a bridge over the old airport access road.[13] The expansion resulted in an increased number of passengers per annum, estimated at 1.5 million passengers for 2009.[14] [15] The number of passengers effectively increased to more than 1.5 million in 2010.[16]

The terminal building and its second expansion, the cargo building, its landscaping, and its carpark canopies were designed by Malaysian architect Hin Tan of Hintan.[17]

In December 2016, the airport announced that it served 2 million passengers during 2016, reaching its second milestone.[18]

The airport announced over 7.2 million passengers for 2023, exceeding their projections predictions for that year. This statistics marks a substantial increase of 40% compared to the previous year (2022) and 117% compared to the year 2019, solidifying TIA's position as a key player in the regional aviation industry.

Ownership

In 2017, China Everbright Limited became the sole owner of Tirana International Airport Nënë Tereza. After reaching an agreement with the Albanian Government to end its monopoly on international flights from Albania, Hochtief AirPort sold the operation of Tirana International Airport Nënë Tereza to China Everbright Limited,[19] a company specializing in asset management, direct investment, brokerage and investment banking.[20] On 25 December 2020, Kastrati Group bought all the shares of the airport from China Everbright Limited for 71 million euros.[21] [22]

Airlines and destinations

The following airlines operate regular year-round and seasonal scheduled and charter flights to and from Tirana:

Statistics

Traffic

YearPassengersChangeAircraft OperationsChangeCargo
(metric tons)
Change
2005785,000 20.77% 15,400 N.A. N.A. N.A.
2006906,103 15.43% 15,856 2.96% 2,435 N.A.
20071,105,770 18,258 3,832
20081,267,041 14.58% 19,194 5.13% 2,497 34.84%
20091,394,688 10.07% 20,064 4.53% 2,265 9.29%
20101,536,822 10.19% 20,768 3.51% 2,355 3.97%
20111,817,073 18.24% 22,988 10.69% 2,656 12.78%
20121,665,331 8.35% 20,528 10.70% 1,875 29.41%
20131,757,342 5.53% 19,942 2.85% 2,164 15.41%
20141,810,305 3.02% 17,928 3.02% 2,324 13.53%
20151,997,044 10.3% 20,876 16.4% 2,229 4.1%
20162,195,100 9.9% 22,352 7.1% 2,200 1%
2017[23] 2,630,338 19.8% 24,336 9% 2,266 3%
2018[24] 2,947,172 12% 25,462 3% 2,245 0.9%
2019[25] 3,338,147 13.3% 28,695 12.5% 2,372 5.7%
2020[26] 1,310,614 60,7% 15,280 46,8% 1,796.8 24.3%
2021[27] 2,923,533 123.1% 26,152 73% 1,983 10.4%
2022[28] 5,198,550 77.8% 38,517 47.3% 2,045 3.1%
2023[29] 7,257,662 39.6% 51,050 32.5% 1,953 4.5%
2024 (30.06)[30] 4,788,895 65% 31,826 54% 1,061 16.5%

Busiest routes

Most frequent routes at Tirana Airport (2023[31])
RankDestinationAirport(s)Number of PassengersTop carriers
1 LondonLHR, LTN, STN582,742British Airways, Ryanair, Wizz Air
2 MilanMXP390,976Air Albania, Wizz Air
3 RomeCIA, FCO373,284ITA Airways, Ryanair, Wizz Air
4 BergamoBGY363,300Ryanair, Wizz Air
5 PisaPSA322,971Air Albania, Ryanair, Wizz Air
6 IstanbulIST, SAW321,661Air Albania, Pegasus Airlines
7 BolognaBLQ310,583Air Albania, Ryanair, Wizz Air
8 AthensATH266,203Aegean Airlines, Wizz Air
9 ViennaVIE240,408Austrian Airlines, Ryanair, Wizz Air
10 VeronaVRN217,611Air Albania, Wizz Air
Most frequent routes by country at Tirana Airport (2023)
RankDestinationNumber of Passengers
1 Italy3,171,204
2 Germany953,815
3 United Kingdom596,294
4 Turkey415,513
5 Poland337,187
6 Greece285,147
7 Austria240,408
8 France226,126
9 Spain176,661
10 Belgium175,856

Top carriers

Top carriers by market share at Tirana Airport (2023[32])
Rank Carrier Market share
1 61%
2 7%
3 5%
4 4%
5 3%

Ground transport

The airport is linked with motorway SH60 10NM away to SH2 Durres -Tirana access road. Taxis and car rental facilities are available at the airport. The journey from Tirana to the airport takes 20–25 minutes.

Bus

An airport bus, located outside Arrivals terminal, provides an hourly service that is available 24 hour a day and 7 days a week to/from city centre.[33]

Rail

A new electrified light rail train line is being built between Tirana and Durres with a link to Tirana Airport planned to be completed by 2024–25.[34]

Incidents and accidents

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. News: 25 December 2020 . Zyrtarizohet kalimi i Aeroportit të Rinasit te "Kastrati group", për 71 milionë euro . The transfer of Rinas Airport to "Kastrati group" is made official, for 71 million euros . . sq.
  2. Web site: Tirana International Airport . Air Traffic Report 2023 .
  3. Web site: EAD Basic - Error Page . 10 August 2020 . EUROCONTROL.
  4. Web site: Airport record for Nënë Tereza/Rinas International Airport . 1 August 2013 . Landings.com..
  5. Book: Wragg, David . The World's Top 500 Airports . November 2009 . Haynes Holdings . 978-184425-632-7 . 2 . Somerset, UK . 13.
  6. Web site: Facts and Figures about Tirana International Airport Nënë Tereza . www.tirana-airport.com.
  7. Web site: 1 June 2020 . Wizz Air announces 55 new routes and three new bases from this summer . anna.aero.
  8. Web site: 12 January 2024 . flightsfrom.com - TOP 100 BUSIEST AIRPORTS IN EUROPE .
  9. Web site: 3 January 2024 . tirana-airport.com/ en - Tirana International Airport (TIA) Reports Record-Breaking 7.25 Million Passengers in 2023 .
  10. Book: Elsie, Robert . Historical dictionary of Albania . 2010 . Scarecrow Press . 978-0-8108-7380-3 . 2 . Lanham . 659564122.
  11. Web site: 17 June 2010 . DRUSTVO ZA VAZDUSNI SAOBRACAJ A D – AEROPUT (1927-1948) . 17 June 2010 . europeanairlines.no . en . In addition, a new air service (No.2008) to the Kingdom of Yugoslavia's small narbour (sic, probably neighbor), Albania, was opened. From August, Aeroput flew from Beograd with a landing at Ragusa to Tirana, the capital of Albania..
  12. Web site: HOCHTIEF AirPort Signs Concession Agreement for Tirana Airport . 15 October 2004 . hochtief.com . en . The agreement, signed today in the presence of the Albanian Prime Minister Fatos Nano in Tirana, seals the airport takeover in the context of a BOOT (Build Own Operate Transfer) concession with a duration of 20 years..
  13. Web site: HOCHTIEF AirPort Signs Concession Agreement for Tirana Airport . 15 October 2004 . hochtief.com . en . Construction work for a new terminal is to commence right from the first year of operation..
  14. Web site: Tirana International Airport . 7 June 2015.
  15. Web site: Tirana International Airport, Albania . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20110423171217/http://www.hochtief-concessions.com/concessions_en/350.jhtml . 23 April 2011 . HOCHTIEF.
  16. Web site: Facts and Figures about Tirana International Airport Nënë Tereza . tirana-airport.com . en . Traffic Results: 2010 Passengers - 1,536,822.
  17. Web site: TIRANA INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT . tirana-airport.com . 9 . en . The tall, bright and spacious building, designed by the renowned Malaysian architect Hin Tan, is a symbol of Albania's new self-confidence..
  18. Web site: Tirana International Airport reaches two millionth passenger milestone . 3 December 2016 . ata.gov.al . en . Tirana International Airport (TIA) announced on Friday the achievement of two major passenger traffic milestones in welcoming its two millionth passenger and recording the largest ever number of customers served at the airport..
  19. Web site: Shqiptarja.com - Aeroporti i Rinasit kalon 100% tek kompania kineze . 21 February 2017.
  20. Web site: irasia.com - China Everbright Limited . 21 February 2017.
  21. Web site: tirana-airport.com/en About TIA - Today . 15 February 2023.
  22. Web site: seenews.com - UPDATE 1 - Albania's Kastrati Group acquires Tirana airport operator . 28 December 2020 . SeeNews.
  23. Web site: Transport statistics 2017 . 26 January 2024 . Instat.
  24. Web site: Transport statistics 2018 . 26 January 2024 . Instat.
  25. Web site: Transport statistics 2019 . 26 January 2024 . Instat.
  26. Web site: Transport statistics 2020 . 26 January 2024 . Instat.
  27. Web site: Air Traffic Report 2021 . 26 January 2024 . Tirana International Airport.
  28. Web site: Air Traffic Report 2022 . 26 January 2024 . Tirana International Airport.
  29. Web site: Air Traffic Report 2023 . 26 January 2024 . Tirana International Airport.
  30. Web site: June 2024 Air Traffic Report . 26 July 2024 . Tirana Airport.
  31. Web site: Route Report December 2023 . 13 February 2024 . Tirana International Airport.
  32. Web site: Market Share by Air Carriers Report 2023 . 26 January 2024 . Tirana International Airport.
  33. Web site: Bus - Tirana International Airport . 2022-08-26 . www.tirana-airport.com.
  34. Web site: Rehabilitation of the Durrës-Tirana railway line .
  35. Web site: Times . Tirana . 30 June 2016 . Spectacular airport robbery raises national security concerns . 21 February 2017.
  36. Web site: Huge amount of money stolen at the Tirana Airport . 21 February 2017.
  37. News: . 10 April 2019 . Albanian police kill gunman in airport cash heist . Reuters . www.reuters.com.