Ryanair celebrated the opening of its new 4 aircraft base (US$400m invest.) in Tirana on Tues, 31 March. In S2026 Ryanair will deliver 44 routes and record 50% traffic growth to 4m passengers in Tirana. This growth is a direct result of the Albanian Govt’s pro-growth zero tax aviation policy and Tirana Airport’s growth incentive schemes, which encouraged Ryanair to open 21 new routes this summer, supporting over 3,000 jobs, incl. 120 new high-paid jobs for Ryanair pilots, engineers and cabin crew all based in Tirana.
Albania is Europe’s fastest growing aviation market, with Tirana International Airport among the best recovered European airports post Covid. Over the next 5 years, Ryanair will continue this investment, basing up to 6x B737 aircraft ($600m invest.) in Tirana, growing to over 6m passengers p.a., operating over 60 routes by 2030, provided the Albanian Govt continues its pro-growth aviation policy, and Tirana Airport maintains its low costs growth incentives to further stimulate traffic and tourism growth.
To celebrate the opening of Ryanair’s new 4-aircraft base in Tirana and 21 new routes for Summer ‘26, Ryanair has launched a 3-day seat sale with fares from just €21.99.
| 21 New Routes S26 | ||
| Alghero | Genoa | Parma |
| Baden-Baden | Katowice | Pescara |
| Birmingham | Liverpool | Poznan |
| Bratislava | Malta | Trieste |
| Dublin | Memmingen | Turin |
| Eindhoven | Milan M | Verona |
| Gdansk | Naples | Wroclaw |
Ryanair’s Summer 2026 schedule from Tirana will feature 4 based aircraft, supported by a $400 million investment. The airline will operate 44 routes, including 21 new destinations such as Alghero, Dublin, Eindhoven, Genoa, Malta, Milan, and Naples. Passenger traffic is expected to grow to 4 million per year, an increase of over 50%, while supporting more than 3,000 jobs in Albania. This expansion will provide Albanian citizens and visitors with an unbeatable choice of low-fare travel options.
Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary said: “As Albania’s only low-fare airline, Ryanair is pleased to celebrate the opening of its 4 aircraft Tirana base yesterday, delivering record traffic growth of over 50% to 4m pax in 2026. Enabled by Albania’s pro-growth aviation policy, and Tirana Airport’s low costs, Ryanair’s record 2026 growth at Tirana will deliver 44 routes, and 4m passengers.
Albania is Europe’s fastest growing aviation market, and Ryanair will continue to invest in Albanian, growing traffic to over 6m passengers and basing up to 6 aircraft (US$600m invest.) by 2030, provided that the Albanian Govt continues its current pro-growth, zero-tax, aviation policy and Tirana Airport maintains its growth incentives.”
Tirana Airport’s Chief Operating Officer, Mr. Piervittorio Farabbi, said: “Since starting its operation in October 23, Ryanair has continuously challenged us to raise our standards and deliver true operational excellence. TIA staff and management have certainly risen to the occasion: not only we delivered terminal and airside capacity in record time, by completing a 120M EUR capex plan addressing all key airport infrastructures, but we were ready to evolve and to adapt our operational best practices to the needs of a modern airline, focusing on efficiency, turnaround times, and performance.
The opening of this base is not only a milestone for our collaboration, but also a reflection of the progress TIA has made: Ryanair has recognized that we can effectively contribute to its business model and, thus, it has committed additional resources to our partnership.
We are proud to support Ryanair’s growth in Albania, jointly contributing to increased connectivity, new opportunities for tourism, and the creation of jobs in the country. We look forward to further developing this partnership and continuing to grow together in the years ahead.”
