Ryanair, the fastest growing airline in Albania, announced on Thursday, August 14, 2025, the establishment of a new base at Tirana International Airport from April 2026, investing $300 million for the permanent parking of three Boeing 737-800 aircraft. The investment will support more than 3,000 jobs, including 100 new, well-paid positions for pilots and cabin crew.
The new base will strengthen Ryanair’s market share in Albania, offering over 450 weekly flights to 33 destinations from the summer of 2026, of which 10 will be new: Birmingham, Dublin, Milan, Malta, Naples, Pescara, Poznan, Trieste, Turin and Verona. At the same time, frequencies will be increased on 9 existing routes, including to Bari, London, Prague, Stockholm and Warsaw.
According to the company, the new Tirana base will offer:
3 permanently based aircraft – investment of $300 million
10 new routes to major European cities
33 routes in total in 13 countries
4 million annual passenger traffic
Support for over 3,000 jobs in Albania
Ryanair’s investment plan for the next five years foresees up to 6 base aircraft (investment of $600 million), over 5 million passengers per year and more than 20 new routes by 2030, provided that Albania maintains low access costs and zero aviation taxes.
In response to the announcement, Ryanair is offering a three-day ticket offer starting at €24.99 for travel in October and November, available exclusively on its website.
Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary said the company “continues to drive strong growth in Albania, offering a huge opportunity to grow air traffic, tourism and jobs.”
For his part, Tirana Airport COO Piervittorio Farabbi stressed that the establishment of the base in such a short period of time “is the result of strategic investment in infrastructure and technology, with runway, parking and terminal extensions, as well as advanced digital passenger management systems.”
