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Kosovo-Albania air corridors are officially opened, flights are shortened by 12 minutes

2024-01-25 12:29:00, Aktualitet CNA

Kosovo-Albania air corridors are officially opened, flights are shortened by 12

Illustrative photo

NATO has announced that on January 24, 2024, new air lines were created throughout Albanian airspace, to facilitate flights to and from Pristina Airport.

Shortening flight trajectories to and from Kosovo includes 08-12 minutes.

The Air Navigation Services Agency (AShNA) held the official opening ceremony of the air corridors with the Republic of Albania.

Participating in this ceremony was Prime Minister Albin Kurti and Minister of Infrastructure, Liburn Aliu; ambassador of the QUINT countries and the Embassy of Albania; representatives of KFOR as well as representatives of airline companies in Kosovo.

The Minister of Infrastructure, Liburn Aliu, said that with the opening of these corridors, there will be cheaper travel prices and shorter travel times.

"Thanks to the help of our partners, NATO, KFOR, the Albanian state, we reached an agreement at the end of last year. It is a very good opportunity in some aspects, as financial, there will be cheaper prices, shorter travel time, and also in financial terms. Landings at the airport of Pristina even in a heavy fog, i.e. in difficult climatic conditions, it is enough to have visibility up to 50 meters for the flight of planes in the region. In case those of Skopje and Tirana can come to Pristina in difficult cases during landings. The technical aspect was done very early."

Meanwhile, the prime minister of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, said that this is a historical moment that will undoubtedly shape the future of air travel in our region.

"It is a step of progress, efficiency and responsibility towards the environment. By shortening the trajectory of trips to and from Kosovo, the travel time is reduced from 8 to 12 minutes. The reduction in flight time translates into significant reductions in fuel consumption, thereby minimizing carbon dioxide emissions.”

He thanked the partners saying that in this direction the government has invested 34 million euros.

"I want to thank all our partners. In this direction, we have made fundamental changes where the Government of Kosovo has invested 34 million euros. We are proud of the progress we have achieved".

The German ambassador to Kosovo, Jorn Rohde, said that the opening of new air routes for Kosovo was achieved after a 15-month team work with the authorities of Kosovo, Albania, but also with the help of the NATO mission in Kosovo, KFOR.

He even called the opening of new corridors late, since according to him, this could have happened a few years ago. Rohde vowed to continue working to open other corridors, mentioning Montenegro.

Dritan Shakohoxha, CEO of Albawings, said that it is a pleasure to reach this agreement, which will benefit everyone.

Shakahoxha added that the staff will have a member from Kosovo, with different girls from Peja, Prishtina and other cities, and he also did not deny the possibility that perhaps one of the pilots will be from Kosovo.

"Mr. Libur Aliu has supported us a lot, but also the Prime Minister of Kosovo, we are at this moment from the plane and by the end of the summer we think that we will have up to three planes in Pristina, so that we can fly from Pristina to different countries".

Remzi Ejupi, owner of EuroKoha, was also satisfied, who said that this agreement has many benefits, among them the reduction of 40 minutes round trip.

"It is of great significance because the route is shortened, ticket prices are also reduced. But most importantly, we spend a very short time in Albania. We also expect that the line through Montenegro will be opened, and the aviation industry with a shortcut of 40 minutes round trip will reflect a lot."

Ejupi said that the agreement was reached with Montenegro, and it was signed by the president, where after 24 years of waiting for the opening of the airspace, it was now his turn.

According to the Civil Aviation Authority of Kosovo (CAA), which manages the country's low airspace, the agreement has not been implemented due to some technical procedures that had to be approved by Albania and the NATO mission in Kosovo, KFOR.

Unlike the low airspace of Kosovo, which is managed by the CAA, the high airspace - above 6,200 meters, open to commercial traffic since 2014 - is under the control of Hungary, namely HungaroControl. This is because Kosovo has not yet reached the capacity to manage high airspace.

In accordance with Resolution 1244 of the United Nations Security Council, but also with the current laws in Kosovo, the KFOR commander has been responsible for the security of Kosovo's airspace since 1999.

Millions of people travel to and from Pristina International Airport "Adem Jashari" every year. Switzerland, Germany, Turkey, Austria and the United Kingdom have been, until now, the most frequent destinations.

Meanwhile, NATO has announced that on January 24, 2024, new air lines were created throughout Albanian airspace to facilitate flights to and from Pristina Airport.

The NATO announcement states that this new development is the result of efforts made in a NATO-led process aimed at normalizing civil aviation traffic throughout the Western Balkans.

"The new routes will positively impact civil aviation and provide significant benefits, including shorter flight times, lower fuel consumption and reduced pollution," the announcement said.

It is further stated that NATO has supported the process of normalizing the use of airspace over Kosovo since 1999, leading the consultations known as "Balkan Aviation Normalization Meetings".

The announcement of the opening of the air corridors was made on December 28, 2023

The agreement with Albania, to use the air corridor of this country, was reached in 2020./Monitor