This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding reliable references. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (December 2009)

Please help improve this article by expanding it. Further information might be found on the talk page. (December 2009)

Albanian Airlines

IATA LV ICAO LBC Callsign ALBANIAN
Founded	1991
Hubs	Tirana International Airport Nënë Tereza
Fleet size	7
Destinations	9
Company slogan	The Spirit of Albania
Parent company	EVSEN Group of Companies
Headquarters	Tirana, Albania
Key people
Website	http://www.albanianairlines.com.al/

Albanian Airlines MAK Sh. p.k. (trading as Albanian Airlines) is an airline based in Tirana, Albania. It operates scheduled international services. Its main hub is Tirana International Airport Nënë Tereza.^[1]

[edit] History

The airline was established in May 1991 under the name of Arberia Airlines, and was the private airline of politicians for communist Albania. It was later renamed Albanian Airlines in May 1992 and started open operations to the public on 20 June 1995. It was formed as a joint venture between the Albanian state-owned Albtransport and Tyrolean Airways of Austria flying a single Austrian registered, De Havilland Canada Dash 8-102 - Manufacturer Serial Number 243 (OE-LLI). The aircraft were originally flown and maintained by Canadian pilots and mechanics under Austrian licences. Tyrolean opted out of the relationship in 1997, taking back the single Dash 8.

Albanian Airlines was privatized in the same year and sold to Kuwaiti-based M.A. Kharafi & Sons Group. As a result, it was restructured in 1997 when its operations were based on a single Airbus A320 - 231 aircraft leased from Shorouk Air of Egypt. By 2001 it operated a fleet of 4 Tupolev Tu-134 aircraft on scheduled services from Tirana to Bologna, Frankfurt, Istanbul, Pristina, Rome and Zürich. In July 2001 Albanian Airlines started upgrading its fleet by gradually removing its Tupolev aircraft and acquired its first BAe 146. Two more BAe 146 were added in 2003 and 2004. This upgrading process allowed the company to expand to new strategic markets such as Belgium and Germany.

On August 14, 2009, it was announced that Albanian Airlines had been sold to Azerbaijan-based Evsen Group of Companies. ^[2] With this investment came a new logo, addition of destinations, and an addition of aircraft to the existing fleet. Proposed addition of aircraft are two Boeing 737, leased from Air Slovakia, a Boeing 747 from Eagle Aviation France, as well as two Boeing 757, leased from Air Slovakia and Eagle Aviation France. Under the agreement, 93% of capital of the airline will belong to Mr. Ali Evsen and 7% Advanced Construction Group (ACG) Sh.p.k of Albania.

On October 9th, it was announced that Albanian Airlines will soon open new destinations to Paris, Amsterdam, Milan, Rome, Athens, Jedahh, Beijing, and later United States of America along with lower rates of travel along with the addition of more Fokker 100, and scheduled use of the Boeing 747.

November 2009 saw the use of the first of two leased Boeing 737s with flights to London Stansted Airport.^[3]

[edit] Destinations

[edit] Fleet

MD-82 of Albanian Airlines at Monastir Airport (2009)

The Albanian Airlines fleet consists of the following aircraft (as of December 2009) ^[4]:

• 1 × BAe 146-100 (Leased to JetLink Express)
• 1 × BAe 146-200
• 1 × BAe 146-300
• 2 × Boeing 737-300 (Leased from Air Slovakia)
• 2 × Boeing 757-200 (Leased from Air Slovakia)

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Albanian Airlines

v • d • e Airlines of Albania Albanian Airlines · Belle Air · Tafa Air See also Defunct airlines of Albania