A total of 4,799,773 passengers used air transport in July-September, compared with 3,892,761 in the third quarter of 2025, INSTAT said.

Air freight and aircraft traffic also increased during the quarter compared with a year earlier.

A total of 35 foreign airlines operated in Albania during the period, while 153,664 aircraft flew through Albanian airspace, with overflights accounting for 81.7% of the total, INSTAT data showed.

Air freight handled by the country’s airports reached 732 tonnes, of which 76.2% consisted of incoming cargo and 23.8% of outgoing shipments.

The volume of air freight increased by 2.5% compared with the third quarter of 2025, INSTAT said.

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In the third quarter of 2025 (July–September), Italy ranked as Albania’s second-largest foreign investor after Kosovo, with investments totalling 48 million euros.

Central Bank said Italy accounted for 11.3% of total foreign direct investment during the period. Compared with the second quarter of 2025, Italian investments rose by 4 million euros, underscoring Italy’s long-standing and stable presence in the Albanian economy.

Italian capital is primarily concentrated in key sectors such as finance, banking and services.

Albania and Italy have expanded cooperation in recent years across a range of areas, supporting further growth in Italian investment in the country.

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According to the National Institute of Statistics office (INSTAT), network losses reached 323 GWh in Q3 2025, compared with 344 GWh in Q3 2024, a decline of 5.9%.

“The share of network losses in total electricity available during the third quarter of 2025 was 16.0%, down from 16.8% in the third quarter of 2024,” the report said.

Officials say the progress reflects investments in grid infrastructure and new technology, along with improvements in management, structural reorganisation and tighter field inspections aimed at formalising the energy sector.

The government has set a target to reduce losses below 12% by 2029, largely through the rollout of smart meters that provide accurate measurements, real-time data transmission and fair billing.

Network losses are divided into two categories: technical losses, caused by an ageing grid in need of modernisation; and non-technical losses, which include electricity theft and other abuses, and will be monitored more rigorously.

Thanks to recent investment, Albania’s installed energy capacity has doubled from 1,768 MW in 2013 to 3,298 MW, while losses have dropped significantly, contributing to improved financial stability in the energy sector.

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The port of Durrës remained the main gateway for maritime trade, handling 95% of total sea freight – or around 2.1 million tonnes – up 17.5% compared with the same period last year.

The four commercial ports – Durrës, Vlorë, Shëngjin and Limion (Saranda) – processed a range of goods, led by coke and refined petroleum products, which accounted for 19.3% of all cargo. Metal products represented 15.8%, while non-metal mineral goods made up 13.7%. Crude oil, lignite and natural gas comprised 6.5%.

A total of 261 cargo vessels entered and exited Albanian ports in the July–September period, of which 250 were foreign-flagged.

Passenger transport also recorded strong activity. More than one million passengers travelled through the ports of Saranda, Durrës and Vlorë during the summer quarter. Saranda accounted for the largest share with 49.2% of all passengers, followed by Durrës with 40.8% and Vlorë with 10%, reflecting rising tourism flows and cross-border ferry travel.

In maritime trade, total cargo imports and exports reached 1.47 million tonnes in the third quarter, an increase of 5.6% year-on-year.

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According to data from INSTAT, the number of air passengers rose to 3,892,761 in the July–September period, up from 3,534,751 a year earlier – an increase of 10.1%.

Air cargo, including postal shipments, totalled 714.3 tonnes, of which 78.5% were incoming goods and 21.5% outgoing. The volume was 25.1% higher than in the same quarter of 2024, reflecting expanded economic activity and increased demand for air freight.

A total of 31 airlines operated in the period, including 30 foreign carriers and one Albanian.

Albania’s airspace handled 139,923 flights during the quarter, with 83.6% consisting of overflights.

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Central Bank said in its Financial Stability Report for the second half of 2024 that the country’s economic growth was associated with further fall in unemployment rate and increase in employment and wages.

“Fiscal policy maintained a consolidation trend for most of the year leading to significant growth in tax revenues. While inflationary pressures declined, the Bank of Albania eased its monetary policy,” the Report notes.

According to Central Bank, financial activity also expanded.

“Bank deposits and loans expanded despite further appreciation of the national currency, capitalization remained at good levels, while banks’ profits improved significantly,” BoA emphasized.

However, Central Bank underlined that risks to economic and financial developments in the country remain present, linking them to the uncertainty and impact of international developments.

“In this context, it is important that the economic and financial policies of public authorities and the actions of market stakeholders aim to preserve the financial reserves that support the proper operation of their activities,” the BoA report states.

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Central Bank data show that from January to September, total FDI in Albania reached 1.1 billion, up 6.6% compared to the same period in 2023.

The real estate sector led FDI inflows, followed by the financial intermediation, extracting industry, power sector, gas, water supply and processing industry.

In the third quarter of 2024, Türkiye was top investor with investments valued at around 58 million euros, while value of Turkish investments from January through September is estimated 204 million euros, up 62% compared with the same period of the previous year.

Turkish investments dominate financial sector, heavy industry, construction and energy sectors.

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Tourism, construction sector, increased wages and employment were the main contributors to the country’s yearly economic growth in the July-September period.

INSTAT said in its quarterly report that trade, transport, accommodation and food services recorded highest growth with 1.30 percentage points in the third quarter of the year.

According to INSTAT, public administration, education and health rose 0.91 percentage points, professional services and administrative services, with 0.81 percentage points, and construction, with 0.58 percentage points.

Industry, energy and water sectors contributed negatively after recording a 0.43% decrease, agriculture, forestry and fisheries down by 0.41% and information and communication with 0.12%.

On a quarterly comparison basis, Albania’s economy advanced by 2.76%, according to INSTAT.

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According to INSTAT, the import price index also decreased by 0.3% compared to the second quarter of 2024.

Import prices of products in the section “Electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning” marked a decrease by 4.6 %, followed by “Manufacturing” section with the highest weight of 93.5 %, marked a decrease by 1.1 %, “Mining and quarrying” by 0.6 %.

On the other hand, “Water supply, treatment activities and waste management,” marked an increase by 0.9 %.

Within the “Manufacturing” section with the highest decrease is marked in the section “Manufacture of dressing: wearing apparel” by 3.8 %, followed by “Paper printing and regrouping of recorded media” by 3.5 %.

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According to INSTAT, the construction cost index rose 1.6% year-on-year in the third quarter of 2024, down from 4.2% during the same period of 2023.

Compared with the same quarter of the previous year, the largest price increase is observed in the salary expenditure group by 3.2 %, followed by transport expenditures by 3.1 %, energy expenditures by 2.9 %, other expenditures by 2.0 %, and machinery expenditures by 1.5 %.

On the other hand prices of material expenditures decreased by 0.1%.

Within the material expenditures group, the index of the electric materials and communication group recorded the highest decrease by 0.3 %, followed by construction materials by 0.1 %.

On the other hand prices of hydro sanitary materials increased by 0.2 %.

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