Tourist ΄air battles΄ in the Ionian
CORFU. Vlorë international airport is opening this summer. Corfu is suffocating, says Rama. The situation calls for another seasonal airport in southern Albania, without further details. Ioannina has been certified. What will Corfu do about the protection zone north of the runway?
Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama sought to fully capitalise on the honour bestowed upon his country by the ITB tourism exhibition in Berlin.
Thus, during the opening press conference, he did not limit himself to announcing the launch of the international airport in Vlorë but also expanded on the prospect of opening yet another—Albania’s fourth airport—opposite Corfu. Without providing further details, he thus revived long-standing rumours, circulating for over a decade, about the construction of an airport near the town of Agios Saranda. The proposed location has periodically shifted—always in discussion—between the western coast and Gjirokastër.
Regardless, the significance of this statement will be assessed in the future, while everything indicates that the Vlorë airport will receive its first flights this summer. The timeline for completing the entire infrastructure and making it operational has seen several extensions. The most recent deadline was set for March 2025. However, just yesterday, a job advertisement for 100 positions was posted on Edi Rama’s social media page—a posting that became headline news in the Albanian News Agency. Now, the airport’s opening is referenced as happening in the summer.
During his press conference in Berlin, the Albanian Prime Minister also spoke about Corfu Airport, stating that it operates at full capacity during the tourist season—a situation that, according to him, justifies the need for a second, seasonal tourist airport in the region, located on Albanian soil.
In this promising atmosphere, it is also worth noting that Ioannina Airport has been certified in accordance with European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) standards—"an achievement that marks a significant step toward enhancing aviation safety and improving service quality for passengers and airlines".
Out of the 25 airports managed by the Hellenic Civil Aviation Authority (HCAA), ten are set to be certified by the Hellenic Civil Aviation Authority (HCAA) under EASA regulations. These include the airports of Heraklion, Alexandroupoli, Syros, Milos, Ioannina, Kythira, Sitia, Chios, Karpathos and Limnos.
It is also worth noting that Corfu Airport is currently undergoing certification, pending the completion of work on the runway, apron, and the creation of a supporting zone at its northern end near Koulines. This process requires expropriation and the closure of vehicle traffic along the edge of the runway.
Regarding Corfu Airport’s capacity itself, and in apparent recognition of the growing travel demand, including towards Albania’s coastal areas, Fraport officials announced at a recent—and eventful—tourism conference that in 2024, the airport recorded 4,343,748 arrivals and departures, an increase of 6.8% compared to 2023!
GIORGOS KATSAITIS
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