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| Edi Rama and the son of Zayed |
The first plane on the runway landed at Kukës airport, thus starting the work at the second airport of Vlora.
During the inauguration ceremony, Prime Minister Edi Rama said the Airport will be a development engine for the Albanian economy.
"An airport is a development engine. Each airport starts as a local airport and has a certification procedure that lasts 50-60 days and after the certification as an international airport, meanwhile during these weeks agreements will be made with the airlines and that will give people the opportunity to all this area, of our region, to go to destinations that can not go from Tirana in some cases, then will start the increase of the movements", he said.
Rama also explained the history of why this airport will be called "Zayed-North Wings" which is related to the Kosovo war.
"This airport is also a place of remembrance, and the building of this airport is also a temple of remembrance of this area and this large community of Albanians from Prishtina to Tirana and wherever Albanians live, because it was in this area that was build the camp of those who were forcibly displaced from their homes and flocked to Albania, where Kukes was the most populated station. At that time many people came here from all over the world among them someone who is the crown prince of the Emirates, Zayed, who is the son of one of the wisest men this world has ever known, since his foresight and genius vision managed to give life to those we know today as the UAE.
The trace of this track is the trace of this extraordinary story of solidarity for those who needed at that moment all the strength of love and brotherhood to survive the barbarity of ethnic cleansing. The prince remembers that when he was here his father took him twice a day, and told to his collaborators: 'All of you who are there, take care in the distribution of aid so that no family lacks food, water and above all take great care that in the distribution of this solidarity, no one feels the difference for religious reasons", he said.