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28-557: Albania's previous national flag carrier airline, Albanian Airlines , was rendered defunct when the Albanian government revoked its license to operate in Albania on 11 November 2011. Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama announced on 30 March 2017 that the Albanian government was planning to create an airline in Albania in partnership with Turkish Airlines. On 8 May 2017, Rama and İlker Aycı , executive director of Turkish Airlines, released

56-511: A joint press statement, declaring that an Albania-based airline was in the works, with support from Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan . It was later announced that Air Albania's founding was tied to the creation of an international airport in Vlorë , also planned in cooperation with the Turkish government. Rama unveiled the name of the new airline, Air Albania, on 21 November 2017. Air Albania

84-559: A number of Tu-134s have been converted for use as VIP transports and business jets. A total of 854 Tu-134s were built of all versions (including test bed examples) with Aeroflot as the largest user by 1995, the Tu-134 had carried 360 million passengers for that airline. Following the introduction of engines mounted on pylons on the rear fuselage by the French Sud Aviation Caravelle , airliner manufacturers around

112-521: The Boeing 747 , such claims fell through due to financial problems, including the repossession of all leased aircraft from Air Slovakia. In October 2011, the Albanian Airlines fleet consisted of the following aircraft with an average age of 22.5 years: Tupolev Tu-134 The Tupolev Tu-134 ( NATO reporting name : Crusty ) is a twin-engined , narrow-body jet airliner built in

140-483: The European Union . In September 2021, the airline added a third aircraft to its fleet for the first time. On 9 September 2022, the Albanian authorities suspended the airline's business license as the airline failed to provide necessary documentation; however, it was allowed to continue all flight operations. On 14 September 2022, Albanian authorities reactivated the business license as the airline provided all

168-621: The Tupolev Tu-16 strategic bomber, and the Tu-134 carried over the glass nose for the navigator and the landing gear fitted with low-pressure tires to permit operation from unpaved airfields. Serial production began in 1966 at the Kharkov Aviation Production Association, and production of the Tu-124 was discontinued. The Tu-134 was designed for short-haul lines with low passenger traffic. Originally

196-904: The Soviet Union for short and medium-haul routes from 1966 to 1989. The original version featured a glazed-nose design and, like certain other Russian airliners (including its sister model the Tu-154 ), it can operate from unpaved airfields. One of the most widely used aircraft in former Comecon countries, the number in active service is decreasing because of operational safety concerns and noise restrictions . The model has seen long-term service with some 42 countries, with some European airlines having scheduled as many as 12 daily takeoffs and landings per plane. In addition to regular passenger service, it has also been used in various air force, army and navy support roles; for pilot and navigator training; and for aviation research and test projects. In recent years,

224-584: The Soviet state airline, Aeroflot , updated its requirement specifications to include greater payload and passenger capacity, and since Aeroflot's requirements dictated a larger aircraft than initially planned, the Soloviev Design Bureau developed the more powerful D-30 low-bypass turbofan engines. The Tu-134 prototype, CCCP-45075, first flew on 29 July 1963, initially retaining the designation Tu-124A despite radical differences in design from

252-572: The Tu-134 made its first scheduled flight from Moscow to Adler . The Tu-134 was the first Soviet airliner to receive international certification from the International Civil Aviation Organization , which permitted it to be used on international routes. Due to this certification, Aeroflot used most of its Tu-134s on international routes. In 1968, the first export customers, Interflug of East Germany , LOT Polish Airlines and Malév Hungarian Airlines purchased

280-551: The Tu-134. In 1969, the Tu-134 was displayed at the Paris Air Show . From 1972, Aeroflot began placing the Tu-134 in domestic service to Baku , Yerevan , Kyiv , Kishinev , Krasnodar , Leningrad , Omsk , Riga , and Sochi from Sheremetyevo International Airport in Moscow. In its early years, the Tu-134 developed a reputation for reliability and efficiency, especially when compared with previous Soviet designs. After

308-474: The aircraft had 56 seats in a single class configuration, or 50 seats in a two-class configuration. In 1968, Tupolev began work on an improved Tu-134 variant with a 76-seat capacity. The fuselage received a 2.1-metre (6 ft 11 in) plug for greater passenger capacity and an auxiliary power unit in the tail. As a result, the maximum range was reduced from 3,100 kilometers to 2,770 kilometers. The upgraded D-30 engines now featured thrust reversers, replacing

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336-546: The airline's creation in September 2018. An A319 on lease from Turkish Airlines operated the airline's maiden flight in April 2019. Controversy behind the airline's founding erupted when it was discovered that founding partner MDN Investment had been founded nine days prior, on 7 May 2018. Turkish Airlines contributed 30 million dollars in their start-up. Moreover, on 16 May 2018, the Albanian government had given control of

364-478: The carrier saw the addition of aircraft, two Boeing 737 as well as one Boeing 757 , all of which were leased from Air Slovakia . On 9 October 2009, it was announced that Albanian Airlines would soon open new destinations to Paris, Amsterdam, Milan, Rome, Athens, Jeddah, Beijing and later the United States of America. Along with lower rates of travel, the addition of more Fokker 100 , and scheduled use of

392-691: The company to expand to new strategic markets such as Belgium and Germany . In August 2008, Albanian Airlines was purchased by the Advanced Construction Group (ACG) Sh.p.k. in Tirana, Albania, by the President Yahia Farwati, who purchased 100% of capital from the Kuwaiti-based M.A. Kharafi & Sons Group. On 14 August 2009, it was announced that Albanian Airlines had been sold to Turkish Even Group, which

420-574: The establishment of tougher noise standards in the ICAO regulations in 2002, the Tu-134 was banned from most western European airports for its high noise levels. In early 2006, 245 Tu-134s were still in operation, 162 of which were in Russia. After a fatal accident in March 2007, and at the instigation of Russian Minister of Transportation Igor Levitin , Aeroflot announced that it would be retiring its fleet, and

448-647: The land on which the Tirana International Airport was built to Albcontrol in order to participate in the public-private partnership. Due to lack of public comment, Albania may have violated the Stabilisation and Association Agreement it had signed during its accession process to the European Union . The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) granted Air Albania a Third Country Operator (TCO) certificate on 8 May 2020, permitting Air Albania to operate flights between Albania and

476-495: The last Tu-134 was removed from service on 1 January 2008. Some were still in operations with Aeroflot subsidiaries on local routes within Russia. The Tu-134 also found a new life as a business jet with many having an expensive business interior installed. High fuel and maintenance costs are increasingly limiting the number used today. In June 2011, as a response to RusAir Flight 9605 which resulted in 47 fatalities, Russian president Dmitry Medvedev ordered preparations for taking

504-712: The necessary documentation and is continuing its operations. Air Albania flies to the following destinations: Air Albania has a codeshare agreement with and full support of Turkish Airlines . As of January 2024, Air Albania operates the following aircraft: In the past, Air Albania has operated the following aircraft types: The airline names aircraft after Albanians who have contributed to Albanian culture and society, such as Lasgushi ( Airbus A319-100 ), Migjeni ( Airbus A320-200 ) and Fishta ( Airbus A320-200 ). [REDACTED] Media related to Air Albania at Wikimedia Commons Albanian Airlines Albanian Airlines MAK Sh.p.k (trading as Albanian Airlines )

532-468: The parachute. The first Tu-134A, converted from a production Tu-134, flew on 22 April 1969. The first airline flight was on 9 November 1970. An upgraded version, the Tu-134B began production in 1980, with the navigator position abandoned, and seating capacity increased to 96 seats. Efforts subsequently began to develop a Tu-134D with increased engine thrust, but the project was cancelled. In September 1967,

560-587: The previous model (new engines, new wings, totally re-designed tail, etc). On 20 November 1963, the new airliner was officially designated Tu-134. Meanwhile in October 1963, the prototype British BAC One-Eleven , which had a similar T-tail layout, crashed with the loss of all crew while testing its stalling properties. The results of an exhaustive investigation by the British Accident Investigation Board prompted Tupolev to enlarge

588-694: The relationship in 1997, taking back the single Dash 8. Albanian Airlines was privatised in the same year and sold to Kuwait -based M.A. Kharafi & Sons Group. As a result, it was restructured in 1997 when its operations were based on a single Airbus A320 aircraft leased from Shorouk Air of Egypt. By 2001 it operated a fleet of four Tupolev Tu-134 aircraft on scheduled services from Tirana to Bologna , Frankfurt , Istanbul , Pristina , Rome and Zürich . In July 2001, Albanian Airlines started upgrading its fleet by gradually removing its Tupolev aircraft and acquired its first BAe 146 . Two more BAe 146 were added in 2003 and 2004. This upgrading process allowed

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616-517: The tail-heavy arrangement. During a 1960 visit to France, Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev was so impressed by the quiet cabin of the Caravelle, that on 1 August 1960 the Tupolev OKB received an official directive to design a new aircraft with a similar engine arrangement. The requirement was also driven by the need to replace slow, aging piston-engined Il-14s on domestic routes. In 1961,

644-518: The tailplane on Tu-134s by 30% for greater control authority. Design curiosities of the Tu-134 included a sharp wing sweepback of 35 degrees, compared to 25–28 degrees in its counterparts. The engines on early production Tu-134s lacked thrust reversers, which made the aircraft one of a handful of types from that era that used a brake parachute for landing in adverse conditions. The majority of onboard electronics operated on direct current . The lineage of early Soviet airliners could be traced directly to

672-477: The world rushed to adopt the new layout. Its advantages included clean wing airflow without disruption by nacelles or pylons and decreased cabin noise. At the same time, placing heavy engines that far back created challenges with the location of the centre of gravity in relation to the centre of lift, which was at the wings. To make room for the engines, the tailplanes had to be relocated to the tail fin, which had to be stronger and therefore heavier, further compounding

700-565: Was an airline based in Tirana , Albania . It operated scheduled international services. Its main hub was Tirana International Airport Nënë Tereza . On 11 November 2011 Albania's Civil Aviation Authority revoked the license of Albanian Airlines. The airline was initially established in May 1991 using Tupolev Tu-134 aircraft and operated under the name of Arberia Airlines. This was the private airline of politicians for communist Albania. The airline

728-473: Was founded on 16 May 2018 by a consortium led by the Albanian and Turkish governments under a public–private partnership . Turkish Airlines , a founding partner, owns 49.12% of Air Albania. The remaining 50.88% is publicly traded, currently split between Albcontrol , a corporation owned by the Albanian government, with roughly 10%, and MDN Investment, a privately held company in Albania, with roughly 41% of shares. Albania's national competition authority cleared

756-434: Was later renamed to Albanian Airlines in May 1992 and started open operations to the public on 20 June 1992. The renamed airline was formed as a joint venture between the Albanian state-owned Albtransport and Tyrolean Airways of Austria. Albanian Airlines operated a single Austrian registered, De Havilland Canada Dash 8-102 (MSN 242, OE-LLI), flown by Canadian pilots and maintained by Canadian Engineers. Tyrolean opted out of

784-425: Was purchased by Evsen Group 93% and 7% retained by the Advanced Construction Group. In March 2012, the 93% of Albanian Airlines shares was returned with a court decision to Advanced Construction Group (ACG) with owner Yahia Farwati. Now, Advanced Construction Group (ACG) owns 100% of its shares. With this investment came a new logo, addition of destinations, and an addition of aircraft to the existing fleet. In 2009,

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