++ Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama boasts of test flights at Vlora International Airport ++ Munich Airport no longer active in an advisory capacity ++ European institutions and Bern Convention sharply criticise controversial Vlora airport project ++
The first aeroplane has landed at Vlora Airport. However, the fact that this was above all a big PR show can be recognised by the construction site character of the airport. The unfinished hangar can be seen in the background.
© PPNEA
Two flocks of greater flamingos, with the control tower of the proposed airport under construction in the background. The construction of the airport near the Narta lagoon is not only a disaster for the birdlife in the area, but also questionable in terms of flight safety.
© Zydjon Vorpsi/ PPNEA
Bird's eye view of the Narta Lagoon and Sazan Island. Donald Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, whose investment firm Affinity Partners plans to build a 1,100-hectare luxury resort with 6,000 hotel rooms and villas along the lagoon. A similar project is planned for the nearby uninhabited island of Sazan, which lies within a marine national park.
© Xhemal Xherri/PPNEA
Representatives of the Albanian NGO PPNEA and others are protesting in front of the Albanian Supreme Court on 7 May 2025 against the delay of the lawsuit against the construction of the Vlora International Airport from 2022.
© PPNEATirana/Radolfzell. Today, the Albanian government orchestrated a big show with test flights over the Vlora International Airport, even though large parts of the airport are still under construction. Neither the runway nor the terminal is ready, and even the airport tower is not fully operational.
Aleksander Trajce, Executive Director of PPNEA – BirdLife's Albanian partner – sees a clear link to the upcoming elections: "In Albania, it has become something of a tradition to showcase infrastructure “achievements” right before elections, regardless of whether the projects are anywhere near completion. Today’s test flight(s) at the Vlora airport are no exception, carefully choreographed to give the impression that the airport is ready for operation. In reality, the construction is far from completion for operation. While the government is flying-high with the propaganda for the airport, what’s actually happening on the ground involves a rushed and chaotic development built inside a protected area, a myriad of safety concerns both during construction and for future operations, and the reckless destruction of natural habitats.”
It is thus not true that regular air traffic will soon commence at Vlora Airport, nor can Edi Rama's repeated statement at this year's ITB Berlin Convention that Munich Airport International (MAI) will operate Vlora International Airport. Indeed, MAI, which was involved in an advisory capacity until April 2025, has ended its consulting agreement with the controversial Vlora airport project.
Vlora International Airport has been strongly criticised not only by environmental groups such as PPNEA and EuroNatur, but also by the European Commission, the European Parliament, the Standing Committee of the Bern Convention and the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species. The airport project, being built near the Narta Lagoon – an internationally protected wetland of outstanding importance for bird migration – as part of the Vjosa Delta, violates national and international environmental laws. If it goes ahead, it will put one of Europe's most unique ecosystems at risk, and endanger passengers with a high likelihood of bird strikes in the area.
"Against the background of Albania's aspirations to join the EU in the near future, the continued violation of international nature conservation law is very surprising. It does not bode well for the chances of a speedy conclusion of EU accession negotiations; on the contrary, we believe that it will lead to significant delays in EU accession," states Gabriel Schwaderer, Executive Director of EuroNatur.
Unimpressed by the international criticism, the Albanian government has continued to make Albania a "champion of tourism", as announced just a few months after the Albanian Vjosa River was declared Europe's first wild river national park. And the Vlora airport appears to be the prelude to a major tourism initiative by the Albanian government in the south of the country, including providing infrastructure for Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner, whose investment firm Affinity Partners plans to develop the lagoon for luxury tourism, as well as the nearby uninhabited island of Sazan, which lies within a marine national park. In February 2024, a new law was introduced, allowing major infrastructure projects in protected areas if they promote tourism. The announcement of Kushner’s project came only after the legislative amendment had been passed.
Background information:
- Narta Lagoon is located in the Vjosa Delta, directly on one of the last unspoilt parts of the Albanian Adriatic coast. After ten years of campaigning by EuroNatur and its partner organisations Riverwatch and EcoAlbania, the Vjosa was declared Europe's first wild river national park and placed under the protection of the Albanian government. At the same time, the construction of Vlora airport was promoted.
- Munich Airport International GmbH (MAI) is a wholly owned subsidiary of Flughafen München GmbH (FMG). FMG's shareholders are the Free State of Bavaria (51 per cent), the Federal Republic of Germany (26 per cent) and the City of Munich (23 per cent).
- On 23 of November 2022, the Albanian NGOs PPNEA and AOS, with the support of EuroNatur, filed a lawsuit with the Albanian Administrative Court against the construction of Vlora Airport, as it violates national laws and international conventions. So far, their case has been delayed.
Press contact:
Christian Stielow, EuroNatur, E-Mail: christian.stielow(at)euronatur.org, Tel.: 00 7732 9272 15
Lorena Xhafaj, PPNEA, E-Mail: l.pyzexhafaj(at)ppnea.org, Tel.: +35 5562 8954