Speaking at the launch ceremony, Infrastructure and Energy Minister Enea Karakaçi said the route marked the first direct connection between Albania and Canada in the history of the country’s civil aviation.

“We are here not simply to welcome an aircraft, but to celebrate a new opportunity for Albania,” Karakaçi said. “For the first time, a direct flight is linking Canada and Albania, creating a new bridge between our countries and our people.”

Karakaçi said the launch was the result of close cooperation between Albanian and Canadian authorities, supported by extensive diplomatic and technical efforts.

The Minister said the project demonstrated how institutional coordination and political commitment could help overcome bureaucratic obstacles in the public interest.

He highlighted the significance of the route for the Albanian community in Canada, describing it as a well-established diaspora that has maintained strong ties with its country of origin.

Beyond serving the diaspora, the route is expected to open a new source market for Albania’s tourism industry while supporting investment, business ties and broader economic exchanges between the two countries, he added.

The new service will bring visitors from one of the world’s most developed economies and create additional opportunities for trade and investment, according to Karakaçi.

The Minister also pointed to the rapid growth of Albania’s aviation sector, saying passenger traffic has tripled compared with pre-pandemic levels as the country becomes increasingly accessible to travellers from around the world.

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The festival was organized by the “Albanian-Canadian Development Alternative” association. This book festival, as the organizers said, aims to promote the literary heritage and culture of our nation through Albanian books.

This project is the first of its kind in the field of Albanian literature to be organized in Toronto, where it has found enthusiasm and support from the Albanian community. During the two intensive days of the fair, there were presented 750 book titles from 81 publishing houses and 388 authors, making it a unique project of its kind in all of North America.

Anxhela Paparizo, director of Art and Culture association’s board of directors, said that this book festival is more than a parade of Albanian literature in a foreign country.

“This is a chance to further develop Albanian literature in the Albanian community in North America and to keep alive the love for our beautiful Albanian language,” said Paparizo.

She further thanked journalist Enkel Demi, the current winner of the Tirana Book Fair award, for his presence and support of the Albanian Book Festival in Toronto.

The “Albanian-Canadian Development Alternative” is confident that the Albanian Book Festival in Canada will stand the test of time and today’s initiative will become a tradition, aiming for this activity to continue to be held every year in order to attract the attention of the entire Albanian community not only in Toronto and Canada, but throughout North America and beyond. /j.p/p.s./