Prime Minister Edi Rama has spoken in favour of the extension of the concession for the Mother Theresa airport by 13 years for the benefit of Kastrati Shpk.
During a press conference, he praised the return of the concession to an Albanian company from a Chinese one.
“I am very happy that the airport will finally become a new investment site which was not made by the Chinese, including a new runway and terminal.”
In December, Kastrati became the new owner of the concession. The company already owns non-functional Kukes airport, part of Durres Port, and a stake in the highway that connects Albania with Kosovo.
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.
After Kastrati purchased the concession, 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 last week, announcing a plan to invest about €100 million euro.
