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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.

Investment and Ambition

The project is being developed by a consortium led by Swiss-based Mabco Constructions. Infrastructure Minister Belinda Balluku previously said the concessionaire has invested 140 million euros ($164.7 million) in the airport since construction began in 2021.

The scale of the investment underscores the government’s ambitions to transform Vlora into a major transport and tourism hub, linking Albania more tightly to regional and international travel networks.

Shareholder Dispute Casts a Shadow

Local media reported in October that the delay stemmed from a legal dispute between the project’s shareholders. Mabco Constructions holds a dominant 98% stake, while Albanian firm 2A Group owns the remaining share.

At the heart of the dispute were plans to increase 2A Group’s stake to 49%, a proposal that reportedly triggered legal friction and stalled decision-making at a critical stage of the project.

A Path Forward Reopens

Last week, Albanian media reported that the shareholder dispute had been resolved, clearing the runway for work to continue. While the resolution removes a major obstacle, the damage to the original launch schedule appears irreversible.

For now, the airport stands as a nearly finished gateway waiting for clearance — a modern terminal grounded not by concrete or steel, but by corporate discord. As Albania's Vlora airport launch postponed, officials remain confident the project will ultimately take flight, albeit later than planned.