Airports: Tirana has taken the regional top spot with around 6 million passengers
In just six months, Tirana reached approximately six million passengers, making it the busiest single airport in the region. The data is even more interesting when compared with the total traffic of all Croatian airports, which had 5.54 million passengers in the same period.
The Albanian air transport market continues to grow at a pace well above the European average. According to ACI Europe, the number of passengers in Albania in the first half of 2026 increased by 17.2 percent, while the European market grew by 2.6 percent. Tirana was the fastest-growing among European airports in the category of 10 to 25 million annual passengers.
Croatian traffic is growing, but significantly slower
Croatian airports from January to June they recorded 5,539,709 passengers, 2.9 percent more than the previous year. Zagreb had 2.20 million passengers, Split 1.31 million, and Dubrovnik 1.21 million. They are followed by Zadar with almost 596 thousand and Pula with 150 thousand passengers.
Therefore, the comparison with Tirana should be read with caution. Croatia has a highly decentralised and seasonal air traffic system, whereas Albanian international traffic is almost entirely concentrated on Tirana. Nevertheless, the fact that a single terminal can outperform Croatia's total result in the first six months speaks volumes about the speed at which the regional market is changing.
Tirana ahead of Belgrade, Pristina right behind Zagreb
Among individual airports, after Tirana comes Belgrade with 4.2 million passengers and growth of 7.2 percent. Zagreb Airport is third with 2.2 million, while Pristina is fourth with around 2.1 million passengers. Belgrade's result has been officially confirmed by the airport operator.
Skopje stands out in particular. The airport in the capital of North Macedonia reached more than 1.83 million passengers, with growth of almost 29 per cent.
Low-cost airlines are changing the regional map
Tirana's growth is not solely the result of tourism. The diaspora, business travel, and outbound passengers are also entering the mix, but the expansion of low-cost capacity is clearly accelerating Albania's accessibility. Ryanair opened a base in Tirana in April 2026., while Wizz Air has been strongly increasing its market presence for years.
For tourism industry The message from the Adriatic region is clear: competition is no longer driven solely by hotel capacity and accommodation prices. Seat availability and the breadth of the direct flight network are increasingly determining which destinations can grow international demand the fastest.
