In Akërni, Vlorë, between the Vjosa estuary and the Narta lagoon, where the sounds of nature intersect with the migratory routes of birds, two planes landed today.
For more than two years, confrontations over violations in the construction of Vlora Airport have taken place not only in courtrooms, but also in public spaces and international diplomacy.
From the first lawsuit in 2022 by the Center "For the Preservation and Protection of the Natural Environment in Albania" (PPNEA) and the Ornithological Society of Albania (AOS), supported by EuroNatur, against the government concession, to the intervention of the Supreme Court that has still not clarified its decision more than a year after it was granted, the saga of this project has become the main cause of natural heritage protection in Albania.
Construction begun without full permits, unclear tendering procedures, and links to large resort projects around the area have raised serious concerns about the future.
Environmentalists warn of serious consequences for biodiversity with direct damage to migratory birds and the ecosystem protected by international convention.
The Munich Municipality did not renew its cooperation with Vlora Airport, while the previous clash over the alienation of the Divjaka-Karavasta area shows that this story is not just about the airport, but about the urban vision of the entire coastal area.
On the horizon, other interventions are foreseen in Sazan, Zvërnec, Darëzezë and again in Divjakë-Karavasta, the main parts of which are protected areas.
The ordeal of legal cases
November 2022 – With the support of the international organization EuroNatur, PPNEA and AOS sued the government in the Administrative Court. Through the law firm “Meçi” and the center “Res Publica” they requested the suspension of the works, the cancellation of the concession, the revocation of the development and construction permit issued by the KKT and the Ministry of Infrastructure, as well as the revocation of the decisions of the Ministry of Environment and AKBN given in favor of the project.
December 2022 – Administrative Court of First Instance did not legitimize the organizations environmental organization as a party to initiate legal proceedings. It reasoned that organizations cannot file lawsuits against administrative acts and therefore decided not to continue the examination of the case. The decision was appealed.
June 2023 – The Court of Appeal considered legitimate party environmental organizations, but judged that it does not have the competence to examine the matter and Decided The case was returned to the First Instance Court for trial with a different panel of judges. The organizations appealed to the Supreme Court.
March 2024 – Administrative College of the Supreme Court, with Enkelejda judicial body Metaliaj-Softa, Asim Vokshi and Arbena Ahmeti, overturned the decision of the Administrative Court of Appeal by sending the case for reconsideration to this court with the same panel of judges.
In a written response, the Supreme Court told Citizens.al that the decision has not yet been made public despite more than a year having passed.
“[Taking] into consideration the workload of the Judge Rapporteur [Arbena Ahmeti], we are currently awaiting the completion of his reasoning. Once completed, the Court will publish the decision in accordance with the prescribed procedures,” said Ida Vodica-Laska from the Public Relations Directorate at the Supreme Court.
"The Supreme Court is aware of the importance of the matter and, as with any other case, guarantees its handling in accordance with institutional responsibility," Vodica-Laska emphasized.
Turkey, Italy, Kosovo – Project History
Vlora Airport is an early idea of the Rama government, which from the beginning was associated with hints of political influence and favoritism from Turkey.
This idea was officially announced in October 2017 when the Ministry of Infrastructure announced the winner of the tender for feasibility study – the company Seed Consulting, then owned by the partners of 4 workshop, brothers Alban, Andi and Olsi Efthimi (Eftimi) – from an architecture studio closely linked to government urban projects.
In January 2018, Prime Minister Rama stated that it had received an official request for the construction of the airport and that construction would begin within June. The statement was made before the feasibility study had been published and no tender procedure had been announced.
The request in question was from the Turkish consortium of three companies: “Cengiz Constr.” (Mehmet Cengiz), “Kalyon Constr.” (Ömer Faruk Kalyoncu) and “Kolin Constr.” (Celal Koloğlu) – known for their connections narrow with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
This request followed a visit by Rama to Turkey, where he announced that Erdoğan had promised assistance in the creation of an Albanian airline – Air Albania and that its headquarters would be precisely Vlora Airport.
However, in April 2019, the Turkish consortium withdrew from the concession without much explanation and the ministry announced the opening of another competition. Earlier, the Commissioner responsible for EU enlargement had stated that he would examine whether there had been a violation of the Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA) in the case of this deal.
In September 2019, the Prime Minister reported that the new project was designed by the Archea studio of Italian architect Marco Casamonti – also closely linked to the government's urban planning projects – and a day later, he presented it in the city of Vlora.
The government finally awarded a 35-year concession for the design, construction and operation of Vlora Airport in December 2019.
Entrepreneurs Behgjet Pacolli (Mabetex, Mabaco Constructions) and Valon Ademi (2A Group) were declared the winners with a bid of around 104 million euros. Aldi Çeli's company (AL-DE Corporation Ltd) was also in the competition, but it was disqualified for "not submitting a bid", an argument that was opposed by Çeli's representatives, who raised claims for favoritism.
In the winning bid of entrepreneurs Pacolli and Ademi was also the duo of Turkish entrepreneurs Cuneyt and Huseyin Arslan (YDA Insaat Sanayi Ve Ticaret Anonim Sirketi) – who are also known for their closeness to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan after they built the Fier Regional Memorial Hospital on his orders – but in September 2022 they sold their quotas (40%) to Pacolli for only 4,450 euros.
Work on the airport began with a solemn ceremony on November 28, 2021, despite the fact that the project had not yet received environmental and construction permits – it was only officially approved “Development permit"granted by the government in November of that year, the environmental permit was granted a month later and the construction permit after another 15 months, on November 9, 2022.
Concerns about environmental impacts
Vlora Airport began construction near the village of Akërni in the Narta lagoon – a protected area and habitat for more than 62 bird species listed in the EU Birds Directive.
Environmental organizations denounced how the project violated national laws and international conventions while risking severe damage to the area's ecosystem and bird migration routes.
The government denied the violations and in all cases defended the investment, pledging that this airport is in line with the strategic plan for the development of the economy and tourism, that it will be international and that it will accommodate large aircraft.
But environmentalists fear that the loud noise and large aircraft flights will harm endangered birds such as Dalmatian pelicans. For this reason, the Bern Convention has repeatedly called for a halt to the works and a review of the project.
Meanwhile, the master plan published from the ministry during the competition revealed that the real function of the airport will be to receive the flows of tourists that are expected to head to the lagoon area, which is being presented with radical changes with the construction of resorts, sports facilities, agriculture and a yacht port.
The large size of Vlora airport is also understood from other projects with colossal developments to the detriment of the environment that are foreseen in the surrounding areas, such as the Vjosa spillway, Hidrovori, Zvërneci and Sazani, the latter two, sensationally presented last year by the son-in-law of US President Donald Trump, Jared Kushner. He gained the status of strategic investor in January 2025.
It is worth mentioning that the development of tourism in the area between the salt pan and the Vjosa estuary was also foreseen by the government of Sali Berisha.
Hundreds of hectares were designated for tourism development based on an urban study for the coast in the "Vjosa Estuary-Hidrovor, Novoselë-Vlorë" area, subsequently approved by decision of the former Territorial Regulation Council (today the National Council of Territory and Water, decision No. 19 dated 14/07/2009).
In April 2025, the Municipality of Munich announced its withdrawal from its involvement as an advisor in the Vlora Airport project, following continued pressure from environmental organizations. The Economic Committee responsible for the economy of the German city thus distanced itself from the negative environmental impact of the project.
On the other hand, for the airport's main investor, Behgjet Pacolli, this is not the first case of a controversial project with a bad relationship with the environment in Albania.
Earlier, he had expressed interest in developing a complex of palaces, hotels and 370 tourist villas in the Divjakë-Karavasta National Park. The proposal, called “Divjaka Resort", promised an investment of 1 billion euros, but also the radical alienation of the protected area. For this, it was strongly opposed by environmental organizations and later, in November 2019, was rejected by the Rama government.
However, Divjaka is not at peace, as Citizens has previously reported, another project – such as “Kingscoast Divjaka” by Turkish-Austrian entrepreneur Cevdet Caner – puts it at risk.
Read also:
- "No flights to Nartë", protests against Vlora Airport return
- Vlora Airport, the government denies biodiversity and protected status
- Vlora Airport, a promise that is only "renovated"
Erblin Vukaj has completed his studies in “Communication Sciences” and further mastered (MSc) in “European and International Journalism” at the University of Tirana. Since 2012, Vukaj has been working as a professional journalist, gaining experience in online media, print media, radio and television. He has covered various issues such as current affairs, health, environment and sports. In parallel, he has led and been involved in several research projects on the communist past in Albania.
