Comments for Albania

The airport itself is very nice (I was told it was recently rebuilt by a German company and they hold a concession for twenty years to operate it).

All the staff was very friendly. It took the gasoline truck an hour to come to us (yes, they have AvGas 100LL), the ARO was friendly, but a bit clumsy. The main objection is the price: 95 EUR for 600kg MTOW, no PAX.

A prior landing permission is needed. In principle it takes 24h to get it (we got it overnight). Contact is Mr. Vrioni (mobile) +355 682 151 493, (fixed) +355 42 343 487.

It looks like TIA may still be the only airport in the whole country with scheduled airline service, though there have been efforts to upgrade Kukës (LAKU) and Gjirokastër to handle scheduled service as well. The Italian government was helping with Gjirokastër at one point.

This was intended to be Albania's second airport with scheduled civil airline service, but some of the comments suggest that things aren't quite working out. Here's Google Translate's (not so great) attempt at translating the Albanian-language comments below (oldest to newest):

"Kukes": do not understand why it is not a airoport such work but should be left at the mercy of fate is all north of Albania who can use ......

"uran uka" (uranium boom): The ndertojete airport in Kukes is a good thing ......................................... .............

"Mendimet e mija" (My thoughts): S SOPI GOSTIL

A Arirport so good and beautiful, especially at night by colored lights, and vihvet not at work, there is something good by the state, who have need for this aireport all Albanians of the north and Kosovo .... ...........

"eshte nje nevoj njerezore" (is a human need): would be better that these comments that we are giving, go to the right ear because this is a national loss but also the first time is a precise mosvleresim Albanian government in the management of this airporti. would be a great help for the area of the northern and south western Kosovo wide. and a fact that is very real in economine Albanian, would have enabled many families and help areas for about employing their relatives.

do te ishte me mire qe keto komente qe ne po japim, te shkojne ne veshin e duhur sepse kjo eshte nje humbje kombetare ne rradhe te pare por gjithashtu eshte nje mosvleresim i sakte i qeverise shqiptare ne manaxhimin e ketij airporti. do te ishte nje ndihme e madhe per te gjithe zonen e veriut dhe te gjithe kosoven jug perendimore. dhe nje fakt qe eshte shume real ne economine shqipetare, do te kishte mundesuar dhe ndihmuar shume familje te zonave per rreth duke punesuar te afermit e tyre.

S SOPI GOSTIL

Nje Arirport kaq i mire dhe i bukur, sidomos natet nga dritat me ngjyra, dhe nuk vihvet ne pune, nuk eshte diqka e mire nga ana e shtetit, qe per ket aireport kan nevoj te gjithe SHqiptaret e veriut dhe te kosoves...............

Shqipria ka vetem nje Airport i cili eshte airport i tirana dhe me nje nuk eshte mire dot ishte me mire sikur te hapet dhe airport i kukes dhe dot ishte mire dhe per Shqiprine.............Thaku you

Te ndertojete airport ne kukes eshte dicka e mire......................................................

This is the home base of the Albanian Air Force academy, though training flights now go out of Kuçovë Air Base.

The U.S. military appears to be using Gjader now as a base for its Predator UAVs:

http://www.af.mil/news/airman/0798/uav2.htm

This is no longer an active air base for Albania, but it includes a series of storage tunnels that still contain military aircraft such as F-7s:

http://www.baes.org.uk/reports/albain06.htm

nuk e kuptoj pse nuk vihet ne pune nje airoport i tille por duhet te lihet ne meshire te fatit eshte gjith veriu i shqiperise qe mund ta shfrytezoje ......

Lapraka, also known as Tirana Aerodrome, is the former airport of Albania's capital. It used to house an air force regiment with Y-5s, operating from the old runway, and later, from the grass runway. Currently, Lapraka only houses the helicopters of the Albanian government