Kukës International Airport Zayed (, ), is an

international airport An international airport is an airport with customs and border control facilities enabling passengers to travel between countries. International airports are usually larger than domestic airports, and feature longer runways and have faciliti ...

located in

Kukës Kukës (; sq-definite, Kukësi) is a city in Albania. The city is the capital of the surrounding municipality of Kukës and county of Kukës County, Kukës, one of 12 constituent Counties of Albania, counties of the republic. It spans and had a ...

Albania Albania ( ; or ), officially the Republic of Albania (), is a country in Southeast Europe. It is located in the Balkans, on the Adriatic Sea, Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea, and shares land borders with Montenegro to ...

. The airport is located south of the city of Kukës. The main purpose of Kukës International Airport is to serve as an alternative

airport An airport is an aerodrome with extended facilities, mostly for commercial Aviation, air transport. They usually consist of a landing area, which comprises an aerially accessible open space including at least one operationally active surf ...

Tirana International Airport Nënë Tereza Tirana International Airport Nënë Tereza (, ), often referred to as the Rinas International Airport, is one of the two main international airports of the Republic of Albania. It serves the city of Tirana, its metropolitan area, and surroundin ...

. The airport was built with

United Arab Emirates The United Arab Emirates (UAE), or simply the Emirates, is a country in West Asia, in the Middle East, at the eastern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is a Federal monarchy, federal elective monarchy made up of Emirates of the United Arab E ...

investments made at the time of

Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan (; 6 May 1918 – 2 November 2004) was an Emirati royal, politician, philanthropist and the founder of the United Arab Emirates. Zayed served as the governor of Eastern Region from 1946 until he became ...

and, to honor these investments, the airport bears the name of Sheikh Zayed. It is designed to serve as a

low-cost A no-frills or no frills service or product is one for which the non-essential features have been removed to keep the price low. The term "Ruffle (sewing), frills" originally refers to a style of fabric decoration. Something offered to customers f ...

airport.

History

Beginnings as domestic airfield

Kukës International Airport is located south of the city of

, in the village Shtiqën. The beginnings of Kukës International Airport date back to 1929 when on 20 April it opened for the first time as a domestic

airfield An aerodrome, airfield, or airstrip is a location from which aircraft flight operations take place, regardless of whether they involve air cargo, passengers, or neither, and regardless of whether it is for public or private use. Aerodromes in ...

offering an air connection between Tirana and Kukës via Peshkopi. The air link was operational for 15 years until the

communist regime A communist state, also known as a Marxist–Leninist state, is a one-party state in which the totality of the power belongs to a party adhering to some form of Marxism–Leninism, a branch of the communist ideology. Marxism–Leninism was ...

did not see fit to allow it to function as a civil airfield and turned it into a military airfield.

Reactivation and transformation

During the

Kosovo War The Kosovo War (; sr-Cyrl-Latn, Косовски рат, Kosovski rat) was an armed conflict in Kosovo that lasted from 28 February 1998 until 11 June 1999. It ...

, the

organized a modern camp in Kukës to help Kosovo War refugees. First, they developed an airfield for the supply of incoming aid to Kukës. At that time, the United Arab Emirates representatives presented the idea for the development of the civil airport as a gift to the area, which faced the largest influx of citizens of Kosovo. After accepting this idea, the Kukës Airport project was further developed with joint studies of the General Directorate of Civil Aviation and investors. Based on the decision of the

Council of Ministers Council of Ministers is a traditional name given to the supreme Executive (government), executive organ in some governments. It is usually equivalent to the term Cabinet (government), cabinet. The term Council of State is a similar name that also m ...

of 15 February 2001, a Memorandum of Understanding was approved between the Government of the Republic of Albania and the Government of the United Arab Emirates for the construction of Kukës Airport. Construction of the airport began on 10 May 2003 and was completed on 31 October 2005 and was expected to employ more than 200 people, helping the local economy by opening more touristic opportunities for the region. The total investment amount was approximately $20 million, a funding gift from the government of the United Arab Emirates. On 7 June 2006, Kukës Airport came under the administration of the General Directorate of Civil Aviation, which, after 2010, was renamed the Civil Aviation Authority. In 2021, the name was changed to Kukës International Airport Zayed () by

Prime Minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...

Edi Rama Edi Rama (born Edvin Kristaq Rama; 4 July 1964) is an Albanian politician, artist and writer who has been serving as the 33rd and incumbent prime minister of Albania since 2013 and chairman of the Socialist Party of Albania since 2005. He was M ...

, in honor of

who sponsored the investment. The opening ceremony of Kukës International Airport took place on 18 April 2021. To commemorate the occasion,

Air Albania Air Albania is the flag carrier of Albania. The airline maintains its hub and company headquarters at the Tirana International Airport Nënë Tereza in Tirana, Albania. Founded in 2018, it serves eleven destinations in Europe. History Early ...

Flight 9003 arrived from

London Stansted Airport Stansted Airport is an international airport serving London, the capital of England and the United Kingdom. It is located near Stansted Mountfitchet, Uttlesford, Essex, northeast of Central London. As London's Airports of London, third-bu ...

after making a short stopover at

, as the airport had not been approved for international flights at the time. On 9 July 2021, the first ever international commercial flight landed at Kukës Airport when

Helvetic Airways Helvetic Airways, previously named ''Odette Airways'', is a Swiss regional airline headquartered in Kloten with its fleet stationed at Zurich Airport. It operates flights to destinations in Europe and Northern Africa, mainly leisure markets, on ...

Flight 8174 arrived from

Zurich Airport Zurich Airport is the largest international airport of Switzerland and the airline hub, principal hub of Swiss International Air Lines. It serves Zurich, the largest city in Switzerland, and, with its surface transport links, much of the rest o ...

Facilities

The airport can accommodate small to medium-sized aircraft. The

apron An apron is a garment worn over other clothing to cover the front of the body to protect from liquids. They have several purposes, most commonly as a functional accessory that protects clothes and skin from stains and marks. However, other typ ...

offers parking spots for up to three aircraft and the

terminal Terminal may refer to: Computing Hardware * Computer terminal, a set of primary input and output devices for a computer * Terminal (electronics), a device for joining electrical circuits together ** Battery terminal, electrical contact used to ...

is equipped to handle up to 500,000 passengers annually.

Operational challenges

The airport has faced difficulties in attracting and securing airline operators, which has affected its full operationalization. One of the technical challenges noted involves the landing corridor, which presents specific conditions that may impact the regularity of flight operations. On 30 December 2024, a new airline named Air Kosova was established with the aim of maintaining regular flight operations to and from the airport. The initiative was referred to by Prime Minister Edi Rama as a shared source of national pride, alongside

Airlines and destinations

As of 4 June 2024, there are no regular passenger flights to/from Kukës Airport.

Statistics

Notes and references

Notes

References

External links

* {{authority control Airports in Albania 2021 establishments in Albania Airports established in 2021 Buildings and structures in Kukës County