The record; Rinas Airport registers 1 million passengers in June

In the month of June alone, the number of passengers increased by 61.6% compared to a year, reaching 1,067,405, marking the first time ever that the airport in the Albanian capital has exceeded 1 million passengers, according to a press release of TIA.

The range of routes operated at the airport has been significantly expanded to include direct connections to European countries and further afield, such as Nice in France, Rhodes and Heraklion in Greece, Barcelona and Valencia in Spain, Bucharest in Romania, Bodrum in Turkey , Antalya and Istanbul, and Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates.

The growth was supported by recent investments in airport infrastructure, terminal expansion and security systems by TIA’s sole owner, construction oil conglomerate Kastrati Group, airport chief operating officer Piervittio Farabbi said in a press release.

Kastrati has increased its planned investment in Tirana airport by 40% from its initial commitment to 140 million euros ($150.98 million) by 2040, Farabbi told local media in February. Part of the new investment plan is an airstrip for transcontinental airlines.

Foreign tourist arrivals in Albania reached 3.3 million in the January-May period, a 38% year-on-year increase, the tourism ministry said in a data release earlier this month.

In 2023, Tirana airport served 7.26 million passengers, 40% more than the year before.