Tirana International Airport (TIA) has enjoyed its best ever start to a year, recording a healthy 23% rise in passengers, 10.6% upturn in air traffic movements and a 17.7% increase in cargo during the first half of 2011.

The Albanian gateway – which handled 793,984 passengers, 10,352 movements and 1,084 tons of freight during the six month period – called the figures 'outstanding'.

“Visa liberalisation has brought noticeable change, as there is significant growth in domestic demand, which has brought with it better and extended services offered by the airlines,” enthuses Rolf Castro-Vasquez, chief operations officer of TIA.

The top performing carriers in Tirana during the half year were Belleair, Alitalia and Albanian Airlines, which handled 46.2%, 9.6% and 9.1% of the passengers respectively.