The Memorandum for the reestablishment of the School was signed by the head of the State –owned Arms Production Company KAYO at the Ministry of Defense, Ardi Veliu, and a representative from the Israeli company.

Minister of Defense, Pirro Vengu, highlighted that this school will train both military and civilian pilots, based on the needs.

“The reestablishment of the Aviation School in Vlora, at Vlora Airport in Akërni, will train both military and civilian pilots, as well as military and civilian air traffic controllers, all supported by a significant bilateral investment,” said Vengu.

“As the Deputy Prime Minister mentioned earlier, the increase in the defense budget over the past decade has had a significant impact. I would like to highlight one key figure: in the next ten years, defense investments in the Republic of Albania will increase tenfold, rising from 13 million to 138 million euros,” said Vengu.

“Certainly,” he continued, “Albania, in the light of its commitments as a NATO member, has invested in critical military infrastructure, and not just that. At the same time, as we take another ambitious step to increase defense spending beyond 2% of GDP, our goal is to ensure that these investments deliver a positive impact on the country’s economy, adding value. This is why we adopt a strategic approach in investing in critical infrastructure, ensuring that it serves a dual purpose—enhancing both military and civilian mobility.”

“This is precisely the case with the entire investment in Corridor 8, where the Porto Romano port serves as the entry point and, as the Deputy Prime Minister pointed out, will be both a military and civilian port, a modern, automated commercial port, and a military port that will provide triple benefits: accommodation of naval vessels that Albania will build, as well as NATO forces for deployments,” said Vengu.

However, he added, “infrastructure is not the sole pillar. The second pillar involves investments in human capital, the development of the defense industry, and the resilient infrastructure, all of which require highly skilled human resources and capabilities. That’s why, through the Armed Forces Academy in partnership with the Polytechnic University and the University of Vlorë, we have launched the creation of joint programs to support this challenge and the national effort for the military industry.”

“We need to train naval engineers, armament engineers, air traffic controllers, pilots, and so on throughout the entire cycle of public investments. We must train a generation of expertise, young professionals who will maintain this critical infrastructure and further develop it,” said Vengu.

The Ministry of Defense and KAYO have been negotiating with the Israeli company LB Systems to develop civilian-military human resources. This has led to the signing of an important agreement for the reestablishment of the Aviation School at Vlora Airport, which will train both military and civilian pilots and air traffic controllers, with a mutually beneficial investment.

/r.e/sm/