The Albanian government has proposed to Parliament to extend the Tirana International Airport (TIA) concession contract for 13 years.
The draft law submitted to Parliament and published by Open Data stipulates that the term of the contract is to be extended from 22 years to 35 years.
This is justified by an investment plan presented by the new concessionary holder Kastrati shpk, who plans to expand the airport and reduce the customer tariff by 20 percent – from €12.50 to €10.
The government draft law reiterates the company’s plan published two days ago to invest about €100 million euro.
The old contract held by a Chinese company granted concession rights for TIA from 2004 to 2024. This contract was amended by a 2-year extension, with the Chinese company allowing other airports to operate in the country.
Asked about her opinion on the purchase one month ago, Minister of Transport Belinda Balluku said she had only read about it in the media and had no information. The minister added that she had asked the Chinese company to meet certain criteria, and hoped that “a wind of change would blow” after the purchase by the Albanian company.
In just about a month after purchasing it, Kastrati shpk could soon get rights to administer the TIA for 19 years, until 2039.
