Infrastructure Minister Belinda Balluku said on Tuesday that the international airport in Albania's coastal city of Vlora has launched a recruitment process and plans to start operations soon.

Balluku said in a Facebook post that up to 100 job positions across various departments at Vlora Airport have now been open, without elaborating.

The airport, which will serve as secondary to the airport in the capital Tirana, is set to open in April, Prime Minister Edi Rama said in November. It will be operated by Flughafen München, which operates Germany’s second busiest airport, in Munich. When construction works are completed, the airport will feature a terminal area of 25,000 square meters and a 3.2-kilometre airstrip, according to Rama. Construction is expected to be finalized in December 2025, Balluku said earlier.

A consortium led by Swiss-based Mabco Constructions, a subsidiary of Mabetex Group, which also comprises Turkish company YDA Group and Kosovo-based 2A Group, started building the airport in 2021 under a 103.9 million euro ($109.43 million) contract for construction, operation and maintenance.

The construction works for the Vlora airport have been progressing in parallel with the completion of the runway, the construction of the terminal, the observation tower, and all other airport infrastructure.

The first flights are planned to take place in the summer of 2025. The work for the Vlora airport started at the end of 2021.

With an area of ??309 hectares, a 3.2 km runway, and an investment of Euro 104 million, the Southern Air Gateway aims to give another boost to the development of the area and especially tourism in the country.

The airport has a runway designed for 4E aircraft, which are wide-body aircraft, Airbus 330-340, or Boeing 777 that are suitable for accommodation at this airport.

One of the connecting roads parallel to the runway is the same length as the 3.2 km runway and will guarantee higher aircraft movement capacity in the maneuvering area.

The third airport in the country, located just 10 km north of the city of Vlora, will give people access to the entire southern coast and the Albanian Riviera. This airport will be one more opportunity for foreign tourists to access the magnificent southern coast, but also a new bridge connecting Albania with other countries.