During 2025, almost 140,000 citizens of Montenegro used Tirana as their main air gateway, marking a strong increase of 14 percent compared to the previous year, said Piervittorio Farabbi, COO of Tirana International Airport (TIA), in an interview with Bankar.
He noted that the newly announced investments — including Ryanair’s base and Wizz Air’s expansion — will further strengthen Tirana Airport’s position as the leading regional air hub. Farabbi explained that the combination of low-cost and traditional airlines, together with an extensive route network and year-round connections to major European hubs, makes Tirana Airport more competitive than other airports in the region.
Commenting on the opening of a Wizz Air base in Montenegro, Farabbi said that “the new capacities in Podgorica will be complementary for the entire region, especially for markets such as Italy, Germany, and France, and that we all should be grateful for Wizz Air’s focus on the Western Balkans.
What are the latest figures regarding passengers from Montenegro using Tirana International Airport, and how do they compare with the period when around 76,000 Montenegrin passports were recorded in the first six months? Do you have estimation for year-end?
The travelers from Montenegro in Tirana International Airport grew by 14% in 2025 compared to 2024. This growth is even bigger than our growth of 9% on overall passenger volumes. By year end, the number Montenegrin passports holders, who used TIA as their airport gateway of choice was close to 140 000. This number, as always, excludes all other passengers to/from Montenegro that do not have a Montenegrin passport. This growth comes as a result of the Tirana Airport’s offerings in terms of destinations, frequencies, direct routes, as well all other services we have added to facilitate also travelers from neighboring countries.
What are currently the most popular destinations for Montenegrin passengers flying from Tirana, and has this list changed compared to the earlier period when Rome, Barcelona and Brussels were among the most sought‑after routes?
Italy and Spain remain undoubtedly highly requested destinations; Italy is our top market and in Spain we have consolidated our market share by adding a new partner airline, Vueling, who now operates all year around. Furthermore, we have recently added Malaga as a new destination, which proved to be very popular among Montenegrins. We see travelers though also choosing other destinations in Europe such as Nice, Prague and Bucharest. I think Tirana International Airport is helping also expand the map of leisure destinations for those who want to take a short city break, no matter the time of the year.
In your opinion, what is the key reason why a significant number of Montenegrin citizens choose Tirana instead of Podgorica or Tivat – ticket prices, route network, flight frequency, service quality, or a combination of all these factors?
Definitely all of these. We hold a well-diversified mix of low-cost carriers such as Wizz Air, Ryanair, Pegasus and easyJet, alongside established legacy airlines including Lufthansa Group, IAG Group, AF-KLM Group, LOT, Air Baltic, and soon also Turkish Airlines. Many of these carriers do not operate yet in Montenegro and passengers have realized that TIA balanced portfolio serves all types of travel needs; point to point, connecting, leisure & business offering more affordable travel choice.
One important factor is that legacy carriers keep routes and frequencies to their main hubs also in winter or low traffic months, whereas offerings maybe reduced in other Wester Balkans airports. Adding new destinations throughout the year is also a sure sign of TIA attractiveness: only last October we added 6 new routes and another 2 in December!.
Last, but not the least, at TIA we focus on customer experience and best service to our partner airlines. We sustained growth through strategic investments in infrastructure, as well as digitalization and development of our staff. Operational excellency and passenger experience are and will remain a key strategic direction for us at TIA.
As of March 2026, Airports of Montenegro will host a permanent Wizz Air base in Podgorica, with two A320neo aircraft and around one million additional seats per year. Do you expect this arrangement to reduce the number of passengers from Montenegro who use Tirana, or do you foresee total demand growing to a level where both airports will continue to expand?
Our data and experience show that in general, adding more capacity helps generate demand; especially for markets who are attractive year-round or are typical leisure/VFR markets. I think the new capacity added to Podgorica will be complementary for the whole region, especially for markets like Italy, Germany and France and we should all be grateful for Wizz Air’s focus on Western Balkans. In addition, with a new destination’s portfolio added in Podgorica and Tirana, we might also see a diversification of demand, especially in leisure options.
Which key investments or strategic decisions have enabled Tirana to become one of the busiest airports in the region in a relatively short period of time, reaching record annual and monthly passenger numbers?
There are several factors that have contributed to transforming Tirana International Airport into leading the region in air transport and connectivity
- Significant investment and modernization
The airport’s shareholder, the Kastrati Group, has driven major infrastructure upgrades—expanding terminal capacity, improving airside operations, upgrading technology, and enhancing the passenger experience. Being also a local investor, knowledge and understanding of the Albanian and Western Balkan markets has made sure that all investments were smart and targeted. - Balanced portfolio of low-cost and legacy airlines
TIA strategic direction was that of a well-diversified mix of low-cost and legacy carriers, as mentioned before. We will continue on this path by offering our airline partners incentives to open new destinations also in 2026. As you probably know, key confirmed news are the strengthening of the Wizz Air Base to 15 aircrafts, opening of the Ryanair Base and the opening of the first direct route to Canada in the Western Balkans. - Strong cooperation among all national authorities
The close alignment between all airport stakeholders, started few years ago, has resulted in the evolution of Tirana International Airport in a Top 50 airport in Europe: together with the airport operator, Civil Aviation Authority, ATC-provider Albcontrol, Border Police, Customs, as well as central and local governmental bodies, all have directly contributed in creating a very collaborative and supporting environment for growth. - Albania’s rising momentum and tourism boom
Albania’s growing visibility, increased international media coverage, and expanding tourism industry have all contributed to boosting incoming tourism. The country’s positioning as a modern, affordable Mediterranean destination is here to stay and we expect even more exposure in the years to come.
In the recent period, you have achieved records in daily and monthly numbers of handled passengers, which puts significant pressure on operations and infrastructure. What key technological or organizational changes have you introduced to keep passenger flow fast and comfortable even during peak season?
Timely investment is crucial to the development of such an important infrastructure. Over €150 million investment between 2021 and 2025 fuelled TIA’s extraordinary transformation. Financial resources focused on terminal capacity, airside infrastructure, and enhancing passenger amenities. Technological advancements played a crucial role, including the implementation of biometric e-gates, 3D security scanners, automated check-in systems, and integrated IT platforms to streamline passenger processing and operational agility. Human capital also plays a vital role, considering that we almost tripled our workforce in only few years. To achieve this, TIA has launched mass recruitment campaigns and implemented targeted training programs focused on safety, customer service, and digital competency. The increase in workforce was aligned with deployment of a targeted talent pipeline process, performance-related reward system and leadership upskilling.
How important has cooperation with low‑cost carriers been for this growth, and in what specific ways has the presence of these airlines changed the travel habits of passengers from Montenegro and the wider region?
The Western Balkan economies are highly dependent on tourism, and only low-cost carriers can deliver the volumes needed to truly unlock this strategic sector. By expanding the map of destinations and significantly increasing capacity, LCCs reshaped the tourism geography of the Balkans — driving not only more inbound traffic but also transforming outbound travel from predominantly VFR into tourism, leisure and business mobility.
At the same time, the profile of visitors evolves from being largely limited to neighboring countries into a truly global audience, positioning the Region firmly on the worldwide tourism map.
What are your top priorities for the next three years in terms of new routes, technological upgrades and capacity expansion of Tirana Airport?
Our plans are clear: to deliver sustainable growth through strategic investments in infrastructure, digitalisation and the strengthening of our human capital. These three pillars underpin our ambition to transform Tirana International Airport into a regional gateway as well as a powerful engine of economic development for Albania and the Western Balkans.
The capacity already delivered, together with the expansions planned for the coming years, is designed to support the continuous growth of both passenger numbers and destinations. Our medium-term target of 15 million passengers per year is ambitious, but fully achievable given the momentum we are witnessing today.
Only a few months ago, we reached another historic milestone with the announcement of the aforementioned Ryanair Base in Tirana starting in April 2026. This represents an investment of USD 100 million per aircraft, the creation of more than 4,000 direct and indirect jobs, and an additional 1.5 million passengers travelling to and from our airport.
At the same time, Wizz Air has confirmed the expansion of its fleet to 15 in summer peak, the launch of 8 new destinations, and increased frequencies on existing routes. Together, these developments clearly demonstrate that Tirana is consolidating its position as one of Europe’s fastest-growing, most connected and most attractive regional airport.
Together with the launch of the transatlantic route to Toronto, all these new developments are elevating Tirana International Airport to a completely new level of connectivity and positioning it firmly on the global aviation map.
These achievements mark the beginning of a new phase of expansion. We are confident that Tirana will continue to grow, broaden its global network and offer ever more connectivity, while playing a decisive role in the economic development of Albania and the whole Western Balkans Region.
