During his visit to this base, Voci was closely acquainted with the fire situation, the dynamics of operations and the challenges faced by pilots and crews.

Brigadier General Voci closely monitored vehicle preparations before joining a crew on an aerial inspection to assess ground operations.

The Air Force continues its response across seven regions—including Dajt, Fier, Mat, Lezhë, Zall-Herr, Tirana, and recently Himara—deploying two Cougar helicopters, one Black Hawk, a UAV drone, and two Air Tractor aircraft.

The air missions focus on extinguishing fires, monitoring them after intervention and preventing reactivation, in continuous coordination with the structures engaged in the field.

“Fully prepared and relentlessly dedicated to seeing every mission through”, emphasized the head of the Air Force. /p.s./

Crews on the ground and a firefighting helicopter are working hard to control the fire in Riban, said Mallakastra’s mayor Qerim Ismailaj. He thanked the Civil Emergencies team and local workers for protecting the area. He also asked residents to be careful, avoid starting fires, and report smoke right away.

Meanwhile, it is reported that police evacuated 15 families, along with their livestock and pets, as flames approached residential areas to ensure everyone’s safety.

Recent high temperatures have triggered multiple wildfires. The Ministry of Defense reports that 727 personnel were deployed over the past 24 hours to manage 20 active fire outbreaks across various regions.

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Defence Minister Ermal Nufi spoke at the festive event on reopening of the Vlora Aviation School after twenty years, appreciating it a major investment re-establishing a crucial training hub for military and civilian pilots and air traffic controllers.

Further on, Nufi highlighted that upgrading current capabilities is a national security priority, with active efforts underway to enhance radar systems and reinforce air defense.

According to the minister, the revitalized Kuçova air base serves as a vital NATO tactical hub, strengthening regional security and elevating Albania’s strategic importance within the Alliance.

Minister of Defense Nufi honored the dedicated pilots, technicians, and specialists who have served the nation, paying tribute to their sacrifices throughout the history of the Air Force. This legacy began on April 24, 1951, marking the official inception of Albanian combat aviation with its first flight in national airspace.

Albanian aviation history was made when pilot Peço Polena took flight in a locally assembled Yak-9P. That same day marked the founding of the First Aviation Fighter Squadron. Commanded by Babaçe Faiku, the unit was based at Lapraka airfield (Tirana) and featured 12 Yak-9 aircraft.

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Allied and partner nations participated in the activity, featuring air assets from France, Slovenia and Albania, as well as Special Forces from Poland, while Georgia, Serbia, Croatia, and India joined as observers.

Representing Albania’s Air Force, a team of 11—including pilots, technicians, mechanics, and board operators—participated with a Cougar helicopter and a Land Rover tactical vehicle.

This exercise strengthens allied interoperability and supports NATO’s readiness objectives for air capabilities.

During the execution phase, the Armed Forces crew completed five troop transport missions totaling 10 hours and 10 minutes, along with two reconnaissance missions. /m.m/j.p/p.s./

During the visit, the delegation was received by Chief of General Staff of Türkiye‘s Armed Forces Selçuk Bayraktaroğlu and by Commander of the Air Force Ziya Cemal Kadıoğlu.

The talks focused on concrete opportunities for cooperation in the fields of military aviation, modern technologies and technical support, as well as on increasing interoperability and expanding the strategic partnership between the two air forces.

The delegation also visited leading defense industry companies, where it was closely acquainted with the most advanced technologies in aviation, unmanned systems and logistical support.

These activities open up concrete opportunities for joint projects and the upgrade of the operational capacities of the Albanian Air Force. /gj.m/a.f/p.s./

According to INSTAT, during this period there traveled a total of 2,611,748 passengers, out of 2,385,329 passengers who traveled during the same period last year. This means a 9.5% increase.

28 airlines operated in the air transport, of which 27 are foreign companies and 1 is an Albanian company. 89,257 aircraft flew in Albanian airspace, of which 82.8% consist of overflights.

Air transport handled 743 tons of freight, with incoming goods accounting for 72.4% and outgoing for 27.6%. If compared to the fourth quarter of 2024, the volume of goods has marked an increase of 18.9%. /j.p/p.s./

The news was announced by Prime Minister Edi Rama through a post in the social media.

The prime minister wrote that this decision comes after meeting the standards set by NATO.

Rama appreciated this as good news for the country and evidence of Albania’s progress in meeting international criteria in the aviation sector.

“The Civil Aviation Authority of Albania has been recognized by NATO for its aviation airworthiness validity, fully meeting the standards set by the Atlantic Alliance,” Rama wrote.

“NATO concluded that the Civil Aviation Authority of Albania is fully compliant with the requirements to become a NATO-recognized authority for aviation validity, as defined by the NAWP and according to the NATO Recognition Process (NRP),” the video shared by PM Rama stated./gj.m/j.p/p.s./

According to official data, there have been reported 32 fire outbreaks in the last 24 hours, of which 9 remain active.

Some of them are located in protected areas and difficult terrain, where the spread of the flames is endangering forests and large areas of vegetation.

Among the fires burning are those in Dibra, Vlora and Tepelena.

In Vlora region, there are engaged the local forces, the Armed Forces units and an air intervention helicopter because the flames are endangering Llogara National Park.

In total, there has been burned an area of over 90 hectares, mainly with bushes and various vegetation.

There are 44 firefighting vehicles and 620 operational forces engaged to extinguish the fires.

Only today, there were engaged 167 Armed Forces troops, 21 vehicles with crews and 1 helicopter.

The authorities continue to closely monitor the situation and appeal for increased caution from citizens during this period of hot weather and high risk of fires. /r.e/p.s./

The Ministry of Defense said today that a group of drones has been used for the first time in such an exercise at this level.

The exercise is carrying out search and rescue operations with Cougar and Blackhawk helicopters from Farka Air Base to support ground operations and readiness for MEDEVAC/CASEVAC medical evacuations.

Regional cooperation and coordination with civilian institutions such as Albcontrol and international partners such as the Kosovo’s Security Force (KSF), makes this exercise an important step towards increasing security and readiness in the region, the Ministry of Defense said.

Yesterday, the multinational exercise “Defender Europe 25”, one of the largest and most complex exercises of the last decade in Europe and Africa, started in Albania. Led by the United States European Command (USEUCOM) and conducted in cooperation with the NATO allies and strategic partners, the exercise will last until June 9, 2025.

“Defender Europe 25” exercise aims to improve the readiness, interoperability and ability of US, NATO and partner forces to act in a coordinated manner in a complex operational environment. The scenario is built according to Article 5 of the NATO Treaty, which simulates the collective defense of allies in the event of an attack on any of them.

The military activities will include a series of large-scale operations in several European countries, with a particular focus on Albania and Kosovo, where training will be conducted on the protection of critical infrastructure, securing embarkation points and managing advanced logistics. /a.f/r.e/p.s./

According to INSTAT, the volume of loaded and unloaded freights (including air mail) via air transport is 550.5 tons, of which 74.5 % are loaded and 25.5 % are unloaded freights. Compared to the first quarter of 2024, the volume of freights increased by 10.2 %.

In air transport, during the first quarter of 2025, operated 19 airlines, of which 18 are foreign companies and 1 is Albanian companies. In the Albanian airspace have flown 65,146 aircrafts, of which 79.5 % were overpasses.

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