Understand
[edit]This is Albania's main airport with numerous connections to all over Europe and a few connections to Asia and the Middle East.
Flights
[edit]The following airlines and cities connect to Tirana:
- Aegean Airlines – Athens, Heraklion (seasonal), Rhodes (seasonal)
- Air Albania – Milan-Bergamo, Bologna, Frankfurt, Istanbul, London-Stansted, Milan-Malpensa, Pisa, Rome, Verona
- airBaltic – Riga (seasonal)
- Air France – Paris (seasonal)
- Air Serbia – Belgrade
- Albawings – Ancona, Florence, Genoa, Perugia, Venice, Verona
- Austrian Airlines – Vienna
- British Airways – London-Heathrow
- Croatia Airlines – Zagreb (beginning 14 June 2024)
- easyJet – Geneva
- Edelweiss – Zurich
- Eurowings – Cologne/Bonn, Düsseldorf, Stuttgart
- flydubai – Dubai
- flynas – Riyadh (seasonal)
- Iberia – Madrid (beginning 28 March 2024)
- Israir Airlines – Tel Aviv (seasonal)
- ITA Airlines – Rome-Fiumicino
- Jazeera Airways – Kuwait City (seasonal)
- LOT Airlines – Warsaw–Chopin
- Lufthansa – Frankfurt, Munich
- Norwegian – Copenhagen (seasonal), Oslo (seasonal)
- Pegasus – Istanbul-Sabiha Gökçen, Antalya (seasonal, beginning 3 June 2024)
- Ryanair – Bari (beginning 31 March 2024), Paris-Beauvais, Milan-Bergamo, Birmingham (beginning 31 March 2024), Bologna, Bristol (beginning 31 March 2024), Bucharest-Otopeni, Budapest (beginning 31 March 2024), Catania, Brussels-Charleroi, Edinburgh, Kraków, London-Stansted, Manchester, Marseille (beginning 31 March 2024), Pisa, Prague, Rome-Ciampino, Stockholm-Arlanda, Treviso, Vienna (beginning 31 March 2024), Warsaw-Modlin, Weeze
- Turkish Airlines – Istanbul (IST)
- Wizzair – Abu Dhabi, Bari, Berlin, Bologna, Cologne, Frankfurt-Hahn, Memmingen (Munich), Milan-Bergamo, Milan-Malpensa, Nuremberg, Rome
Ground transportation
[edit]By bus
[edit]- 1 LU-NA shpk (Tirana) (Luna airport bus stop (city)), ~Skanderbeg Square (In the city, southeast of the Opera, east of Skenderbeg Square. At the airport, leave the airport left out from arrivals (i.e. south) and follow the footpath passing by the rental car kiosks and after about 200 m the Luna bus or minibus will be waiting.), ☏ +355 693794848, +355 695727261, +355 692054002, +355 692098908, [email protected]. 24/7, every full hour. The city operates an official shuttle bus from the airport to Skanderbeg Square and vice versa. The bus takes 30-40 min with regular traffic, but barely ever more than 50 min. Payment is possible with cash, card and via website before. 400 lek.
- 2 Airport Bus No. 2. As of 2023, a second bus company also runs an airport bus for the same price as Luna just 100 m northwest from the Luna city stop. It is not clear what is the exact schedule or advantage of taking this bus, but this company also has a bus at 01:30 and 03:20 to the airport, and consequently might go back to the city when Luna is not running—it is however unclear from where exactly.
- Furgons to/from Shkoder, Fier and Durres. At the airport they leave next to the LU-NA Tirana airport bus. They might charge tourist extra though for starting directly from the airport — for Fier and Durres there are not really any feasible options, but if you want to go to Skoder, just walk to the highway west of the airport where many local buses/furgons will go by.
- Budget transportation, or heading to Shkoder or Kruja
- In case you want to bring down the costs for the trip to downtown Tirana to 100 lek, try catching a regional bus from the main road right/north out from the terminal. Some regional buses do a detour by the airport (called Rinas for them), because it is faster to get into the city this way than to go through Kamëz. On the way to the airport, there should be buses from the Northern Bus Terminal running through Rinas (it even states it in the time table, but this is unconfirmed).
- Alternatively, if you got time, you can always go through Kamëz (pronounced Kamza)—buses between Kamëz and Skanderbeg are 40 lek and go regularly during the day. Between Kamëz and the airport it is 7½ km along a side road, but many cars use it, and you can likely find someone to hitchhike with until Kamëz (or even Tirana).
- Also, to leave from or arrive to the airport cheap or to arrive from or leave to destinations north of Tirana (like Shkoder or Kruja), you could walk (3½ km) north around the airport to/from the main highway, which runs east of the airport. Many regional buses go along this highway (Fushe Kruja, Shkoder, Lezhe). From/to this sideroad to/from Tirana it should be 50 lek on a regional bus via the Northern Bus Station. Hitchhiking to Tirana or at least to Kamëz from here is also easy.
By taxi
[edit]Taxi prices (per ride not person) start at 1,100 lek (as of 2023) — tell them time and location via WhatsApp: ☏ +355698444487. They take 20–25 min.
A regular taxi to the centre right outside the terminal is about 2,500 lek (Jan 2018).
At night
[edit]In case no bus is going from the airport (but see the information on the second additional airport bus company above!), just wait outside the airport where many cars go by. Someone locals or an unofficial taxis will offer to take you downtown. Don't pay more than 300-500 lek (per person). If the driver does not agree, just wait for the next guy—there are many. Have the exact change ready and pay attention to the rules for unofficial taxis.
By rental car
[edit]Options to rent a car outside the airport to travel around in Albania are numerous. Most offices are located just south of the south exit of the airport. The pickup/parking will often be a few hundred meters outside of the fenced airport area.
Wait
[edit]The MonCheri café in the middle has a nice roof top area inside the terminal, in case you want to sit somewhere more quiet and unbothered. Inside the terminal there are some couches near the first toilets, but they might be café customers only.
Eat and drink
[edit]There is a KFC, one or two restaurants and several cafés in or around the terminal.
Buy
[edit]Money
[edit]Right next to the baggage carousel in arrivals there is the airport’s tourism information desk, an ATM and a currency exchange office—with bad rates, only exchange €5-10 here.
In the main hall, exchange bureaus and ATMs can be found.
Shopping
[edit]Facilities in the terminal include a press shop and several cafés.
There are also cheaper cafés (€0.80/espresso) just (right) outside the fenced airport area, where taxi drivers go for a drink.
Connect
[edit]Free Wi-Fi is available in the airport, but not always reliable.
Vodafone and One are selling SIM cards inside the airport, but these only include packages which are the most expensive ones on offer in Albania—starting at 2,300 lek for 40 GB. They claim that they do not offer the usual entry SIM/package for 800 lek (including 3–6 GB). So, unless you really need 40 GB, wait until you arrive in downtown Tirana and get a regular package there—see Albania#Connect.
Cope
[edit]- 1 Copyshop (just south of the KFC). In case you need to print out your boarding pass. Though, its opening times do not seem very reliable. If you urgently need to print anything, just ask in one of the small car rental office just around the corner of this copy shop. In case they are not busy, they will probably help you for the right price (50–100 lek).
Since 2024, printed boarding passes are allowed to be used to enter the departure hall. Alternative, you can still check in via the check-in counters, even if you "have to print" your boarding pass, i.e. with Ryanair and WizzAir. However, it is unclear how long the latter will be allowed, since people forgetting to print out their boarding passes (or even checking-in prior) is a major revenue for budget airlines.
Sleep
[edit]Many hotels and guesthouses are in walking distance to the airport.