Vlora Airport, one of the Albanian government's most sensational projects for national infrastructure, has today become an open arena of conflict between two businessmen who were once partners: Behgjet Pacolli and Valon Ademi. Behind the facade of a strategic investment that was supposed to bring development and tourism, a series of conflicts, accusations and suspicions of shady interests that include dubious loans and connections to Russian banks have emerged.
From "dream project" to rigged contract
The history of Vlora Airport begins in 2017, when the Rama government announced its intention to build a second international airport after Rinas. Initially, the idea was to grant the concession without competition, through a special law that would transfer the project to a Turkish company close to the government. After strong reactions, the project was redesigned through an “open” competition, but which – as was later reported – turned out to be fictitious.
Just four days before its development, the participation criteria were changed and the British company “AL-DE Corporation LTD” was excluded from the competition, which later complained about the procedure as manipulated. The winner was the Turkish consortium YDA Group, the same one that had also built the electoral hospital in Fier. But a few months later, YDA mysteriously withdrew by selling 40% of the airport’s shares for a symbolic amount – around 4,200 euros – leaving control to Mabco Construction SA, Behgjet Pacolli’s company.
The partnership that turned into war
At this point, Valon Ademi, a businessman with known ties to Albanian government figures, enters the scene. He officially owns only 2% of the shares, but claims that there are agreements that increase his participation to 49%. Ademi has filed a lawsuit in the Tirana Court, accusing Pacolli of manipulating the shareholding structure and excluding him from control of the project.
In a public reaction, Ademi stated:
"I have been excluded by methods that have nothing to do with business transparency. Our agreements have been violated and no one can exclude me from what is legally mine."
On the other hand, Pacolli, through his statements on social networks, has appeared increasingly nervous, speaking of a "coordinated conspiracy against him in Albania" and of "forces that want to blackmail him to take what is his." In another status, he wrote:
"I am not ready to compromise on what is mine. God and the documents are witnesses to my good intentions."
At another point, to ease tension with the government, Pacolli described the airport as "one of the most beautiful in the world, thanks to Edi Rama's aesthetic vision" - a phrase he later deleted, fueling even more speculation.
Doubtful credit and the "Russian shadow"
The clash took a more serious turn when documents were leaked to the media linking Pacolli to a loan of tens of millions of euros, obtained through channels linked to Russian banks and private funds based in Switzerland and Cyprus.
According to investigative sources, part of the airport's financing was secured through a scheme involving loans collateralized by the airport's future revenues - a common practice in "PPP"-type projects, but which in this case has raised suspicions of money laundering and a violation of national security.
The Tirana Prosecutor's Office has registered a criminal proceeding for "forgery of documents and fraud with serious consequences." According to media reports, the prosecution is cooperating with foreign investigative agencies to verify the origin of the funds, due to the strategic nature of the airport and suspicions of the involvement of foreign capital of unclear origin.
Pacolli has denied all allegations, saying that “the loan was obtained from legitimate international financial institutions” and that “it has no connection to Russia.” But the inclusion of his name in documents related to the reconstruction of the Kremlin in the 1990s makes this version remain under the shadow of doubt.
What's behind the scenes of the concession?
Sources at the Ministry of Infrastructure admit that the airport is behind contract deadlines, and the first flights that were supposed to take off at the end of 2024 have been postponed indefinitely. The delays are related not only to clashes between shareholders, but also to the lack of liquidity to complete the works.
According to the business plan submitted in 2021, the initial investment would be around 100 million euros, while the benefits at the end of the concession would exceed 700 million euros. This profit-to-investment ratio has long raised suspicions that the project was conceived as a money bag for government circles, through secondary contracts, subcontractors and state guarantees covering the risks of private business.
"Baca" facing the system
In public, Pacolli is trying to present himself as a victim of a system that seeks to “rob him,” while Ademi is using legal and political channels to gain ground. Meanwhile, Albanian courts, the prosecution, and the media have been set in motion, turning Vlora airport into a new arena of war between money, power, and propaganda.
Essentially, the conflict is no longer about an airstrip, but about control of an asset that at the end of the concession could be worth over half a billion euros. And while Pacolli tries to maintain control of the project, praising Edi Rama and avoiding any direct confrontation, one thing is clear:
There are no planes flying on this runway yet, but many interests.
