The long-anticipated debut of a new airport along Albania’s southern coast has hit turbulence. Albania’s Vlora airport launch postponed, Prime Minister Edi Rama said Tuesday, citing internal conflicts within the company developing the project.
The airport in the coastal city of Vlora had been slated to open in 2025, but Rama told reporters that timeline will slip. Construction, however, is still expected to wrap up by mid-2026.
“Unfortunately, there has been a conflict within the [concessionaire] company, between the shareholders, who have their own reasons and dynamics,” Rama said, according to a video posted on his Facebook page.
A Strategic Hub Still Taking Shape
The Vlora airport is intended to function as a secondary gateway to Albania’s main airport in Tirana, easing congestion and boosting access to the country’s tourism-heavy southern coast. Despite the delay, progress on the ground has continued.
In May, the airport handled its first flight as part of the mandatory certification process — a milestone signaling that core infrastructure is already in place.
