Exciting news for travelers between Albania and the United States! The runway extension project at Tirana’s Rinas Airport is paving the way for direct flights to New York and other intercontinental destinations, with services anticipated to commence by the end of next year.

The expansion of the runway at Tirana’s Rinas Airport has officially commenced, marking the beginning of procedures for direct flights connecting Tirana to New York. Originally built in the 1960s, the airport’s runway was approximately 2750 meters long, slightly shorter than the required 3200 meters for intercontinental flights and Category E aircraft. While such aircraft could land on the existing runway, a special landing operation was necessary. This procedure has been carried out on occasions such as the arrival of President George Bush with Air Force One and President Emmanuel Macron of France. However, for commercial airliners, a 3200-meter runway is necessary for normal landings.

With this extension, the process for flights connecting Tirana to New York begins. Currently, approximately 150,000 passengers travel from Tirana to New York annually, often via transit in Italy, Germany, Austria, Poland, or other countries. Direct flights are expected to reduce travel time to approximately 8 and a half hours. The procedures involved include runway extension and standardization, certification by Homeland Security to ensure the runway meets safety standards, and the airline’s fulfillment of numerous requests to initiate direct flights.

It is anticipated that by the end of the year, the runway extension project will be completed, paving the way for direct flights between Tirana and New York to commence next year. Stay tuned for further updates as this exciting development progresses!