Tirana International Airport Nënë Tereza
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Tirana International Airport Mother Teresa Aeroporti Nënë Tereza |
|||
|---|---|---|---|
 |
|||
| IATA: TIA – ICAO: LATI | |||
| Summary | |||
| Airport type | Public / Military | ||
| Operator | Tirana International Airport SHPK | ||
| Location | Tirana, Albania | ||
| Elevation AMSL | 108 ft / 33 m | ||
| Coordinates | 41°24′53″N 019°43′14″E / 41.41472°N 19.72056°ECoordinates: 41°24′53″N 019°43′14″E / 41.41472°N 19.72056°E | ||
| Runways | |||
| Direction | Length | Surface | |
| m | ft | ||
| 18/36 | 2,735 | 8,973 | Concrete |
| Source: Albanian AIP at EUROCONTROL[1] | |||
Tirana International Airport Nënë Tereza (IATA: TIA, ICAO: LATI) is Albania's only international airport. It is commonly known as Rinas International Airport, as it is located 6 NM (11 km; 6.9 mi) northwest[1] of Tirana, in the village of Rinas. In 2001 the airport was named after Mother Teresa.
Contents |
[edit] Facilities
The air traffic equipment and facilities of the airport have been heavily modernised following investments by Tirana International Airport SHPK, a consortium lead by Hochtief AirPort. Hochtief assumed management of the airport on April 23, 2005 for a 20 year concession period.
The concession included the construction of a completely new passenger terminal and various infrastructure improvements, including construction of a new access road. The new facilities inaugurated on March 23, 2007 significantly improved the services offered to air travellers in Albania; however, they do not provide jetway facilities. The new terminal's current theoretical capacity (one million per annum) was surpassed in the same year it was inaugurated which prompted the operator to invest in a two year expansion project.
In 2007, the airport saw record traffic through its terminal. "In 2007, Tirana International Airport (TIA) recorded its best year in terms of passenger numbers and cargo traffic, serving 1,107,325 passengers and handling 3,483 tons of cargo. Passenger numbers increased by 22 per cent compared to 2006 and cargo increased by 65 per cent. Achievements were recorded also in the number air traffic movements (ATMs), which saw an increase of 15 per cent over the figure for 2006" - official TIA press release.
July 2008, Tirana International Airport commenced the expansion of the terminal.
The work for the further modernisation of Tirana International Airport (TIA) started on Friday 25 July 2008 with a ceremony attended by Albania’s Prime Minister, Prof. Dr. Sali Berisha, high representatives of the Albanian government and other highly ranked invitees from foreign representations to the country and its business community. Phase B of the Airport modernisation will significantly increase its operational capacities, and will have as its centre piece the expansion of the new passenger terminal.
The planned expansion of the passenger terminal is based on the fundamental concept of providing a single integrated terminal with an ability to meet fully all passenger requirements, their segregation and processing with maximum efficiency. The physical expansion of the terminal will include 14 additional check-in desks, baggage handling facilities, new entrances, three airline counters, three airside gates, and additional offices on the first floor. The expansion of the terminal will add an additional 3,943 m2 with the height of the structure ranging from seven to 13.5 meters. The construction of the new baggage handling facilities covers 890 m². This leads to a total size of the expansion of 4,833 m². The volume of the building will be 40,000 m³.
The construction works of the new terminal will be finished in September 2009.
Key Technical Features Phase B Investments
- Extension of the Passenger Terminal - 1.5 million Pax. per year
- Size - approx 3,583 m², facade height 7-13.5 m, construction surface 3943 m², the construction of the surface of the metallic shelter 890 m² which brings a total of construction surface 4,833 m². Volume of the object is 39,430 m³.
The structure has 1 high floor and underground fully air condition/heated, with all state of the art passenger service and retail facilities.
- New check-in counters - 14
- New gates - 3
- New airline counters - 3
- New retail outlets - 2 bars, 4 shops, 1 bank
Also for the Phase B, all designs of the architect Hin Tan will be executed by Albanian contractors: Trema Engineering 2 SHPK according to International Standards (British Standards). Design review as well as construction supervision lies with the German engineering company Diwi Consult International.
Since 2005 and the assumption of management by Hochtief AirPort, significant improvements have occurred to expand the airport and its surrounding facilities for the needs of the passengers. These include:
- new perimeter road (opened November 2005)
- bridge on the old airport access road (opened February 2006 and *important for access from the north of the country)
- new passenger terminal (opened March 2007)
- new air cargo centre (opened March 2007)
- new access road (opened March 2007)
- new water supply (opened March 2007)
- new sewage treatment plant (opened June 2007)
- new parking lots (opened March 2007)
[edit] Airlines and destinations
| Airlines | Destinations |
|---|---|
| Adria Airways | Ljubljana |
| Aegean Airlines | Athens |
| Albanian Airlines | Bologna, London-Stansted, Frankfurt, Istanbul-Atatürk, Turin, Milan-Malpensa, Verona [2] |
| Alitalia operated by Air One | Milan-Malpensa, Rome-Fiumicino |
| Austrian Airlines operated by Tyrolean Airways | Vienna |
| Belle Air | Ancona, Bari, Bologna, Cuneo, Florence, Forli, Genoa, Milan-Malpensa, Milan-Orio al Serio, Parma, Perugia, Pisa, Pristina, Rimini, Rome-Fiumicino, Trieste, Venice-Treviso, Verona, Zurich |
| British Airways | London-Gatwick |
| Lufthansa Regional operated by Lufthansa CityLine | Munich |
| Malév Hungarian Airlines | Budapest |
| Olympic Air | Athens |
| Sky Express (Greece) | Heraklion |
| Tafa Air | Pristina |
| Turkish Airlines | Istanbul-Atatürk |
[edit] Passenger commodities
Internet service through WiFi connections is available free of charge to customers of Tirana International Airport and car rentals are available to visitors next to the exit at the Arrival Area.
Shops, and boutiques in Tirana's international airport include:
- AA&A Catering; located in arrival area/check-in hall, providing international coffee.
- ADF; a duty free shop located in the departure area.
- Adrion; providing books, newspapers, magazines, souvenirs, and located in departure area.
- Coli's; a cafe bar located in the departure area. The only place to purchase water (Tepelene) after security for consumption on the flight. Also the only place in the airport that sells decaffeinated coffee.
- Gjikondi; providing jewelry and watches located in departure area.
- Le Charm; providing handbags/bags and accessories, located in the check-in hall.
- Nino Vitali; providing many brands including Lacoste, Gant, Timberland, and Calvin Klein located in departure area.
- P.A.B.; providing Samsonite products, located in departure area.
- Piazza; a Piazza Bar & Restaurant located in arrival area.
- R & T Group, providing electronics, and Vodafone products, located in the check-in hall.
