17/08/2005 

By Erlis Selimaj for Southeast European Times in Tirana – 17/08/05

British Airways will join a number of international airlines that offer regular direct flights to Tirana's Mother Teresa International Airport. [AFP]

UK flagship carrier British Airways (BA) will begin regular direct flights between Gatwick Airport and Tirana, the company announced in a press release this month. The flights are expected to give a substantial boost to travel in and out of Albania.

"We will co-operate with different businesses in Albania to develop the tourism economy, especially air transport. BA will be focused on the customers and its needs. High security levels, quality service and affordable prices are our objectives for a successful operation in the UK and Albania," BA said.

The flights, due to start by March 2006, will be scheduled for Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays. Customers can already make reservations through the company's Web site, www.ba.com. Boeing-737-400 planes will be used on the route, with an estimated time of about three hours to travel one way.

British Airways will join a number of international airlines that offer regular direct flights to Tirana's Mother Teresa International Airport. [AFP]

The BA office in Pristina will serve as a liaison regional bureau, providing customers with Albanian-language information about the service. The airline has been flying into the Kosovo capital since September 2001.

"What we have seen during these last five years is that Tirana, as a city, has been expanded and lots of construction is under way. As we know, there are many Albanians in London who would go to Albania to visit their families back home. This will be a good market for BA," the company's executive-manager for Eastern and Central Europe and the Mediterranean, David Roucham, told reporters.

BA projects that 25,000 travellers will use the new London-Tirana route in the first year, with the number rising incrementally afterwards, Roucham said.

In recent years, Albania has drawn the attention of a number of international airline companies. Austrian Airlines, Hungary's Malev, Greece's Olympic Airlines, Serbia-Montenegro's JAT, Italy's Alitalia, Slovenia's Adria Airways, Turkish Airlines and Bulgaria's Hemus Air all offer regular, scheduled flights to Tirana. Several domestic companies, such as Albanian Airlines, Albatros Airways and Ada Air, also offer direct flights to and from European cities.

SETimes
Published on SETimes (http://www.setimes.com)