Repatriation of Albanian citizens stranded abroad after the closure of borders will begin today.
The first flight from Istanbul arrived this morning and another four between Tirana and Rome and Tirana and Milan will take place this afternoon and tomorrow. Those travelling on the flights found themselves stuck due to restrictions imposed to curb the spread of COVID-19.
All of those returning to Albania are required to stay for 14 days in quarantine in a hotel in Durres.
According to the Ministry of Infrastructure and Energy, in the coming days, there will also be flights from Bari, Frankfurt, Paris and London, operated by Air Albania.
The price of flight tickets starts at EUR 100 and varies depending on the destination. Those travelling must pay for the full price of the ticket. The cost of quarantine is EUR 21 per day, EUR 14 of which will be paid for by the government. The remaining EUR 7 will be paid for by the individual and covers the cost of food.
The quarantine will take place in two hotels in Durres which will be guarded by the army and be monitored by CCTV under the supervision of the State Police.
Those who have purchased tickets so far have reported a number of issues with the booking process. Due to demand, single rooms were the first to sell out meaning double, triple, and quadruple rooms remained. Individuals were required to pay up to EUR 28 per day depending on the room size, instead of EUR 7. As the ticket for hotel and flight came as a package, it also meant they had to pay for up to four flights as well.
