Air Force helicopter used for 'tourist trip' in the Alps

In early December last year, an Air Force helicopter took off from the football field at the “Vllaznia” stadium in Shkodra and flew over the Alps of northern Albania. But this was not an emergency flight, nor was it an important military mission.

The Albanian army helicopter flew towards the Alps with the mayor of Shkodra, Benet Beci, the head of the Albanian Olympic Committee, Fidel Ylli, and the vice president of the Austrian Olympic Committee, Peter Schröcksnadel on board.

In a Facebook post on December 2, Beci described the experience as “a beautiful working trip with Austrian investors to evaluate the potential for a ski resort in the Alps…” In the video posted by Beci, the three travelers and their companions pose smiling with the magical views of the Alps behind them.

The helicopter featured in the video belongs to the small and problematic fleet of Cougar aircraft at the disposal of the Albanian military, which in recent years have suffered from breakdowns and ongoing maintenance problems.

Although there is no law that specifically regulates the use of military helicopters, internal regulations of the General Staff regulate their use in military missions, in cases of civil emergencies, and in the transportation of senior state officials.

Shkodra Mayor Benet Beci told BIRN over the phone that the trip was organized by the Albanian Olympic Committee and that he was simply a “travel companion.”

"They took me to Shkodra, it was organized by the Albanian Olympic Committee," said Beci.

The head of the Albanian Olympic Committee, Fidel Ylli, refused to comment until the publication of this article and requested questions in an official letter.

Meanwhile, the General Staff told BIRN in a written response that fulfilling the request from the Albanian Olympic Committee to make the helicopter available was within the rules. The staff also said that this flight was in line with the mission of the Armed Forces “to promote and elevate the name of the country in the international arena through the contribution of high-level athletes.”

"The Ministry of Defense and the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Albania, within the framework of civil-military cooperation, have the obligation to cooperate with civil authorities and governmental and non-governmental organizations," said the General Staff, adding that it currently provides sufficient air transport capacities in full readiness.

This is not the first time that Air Force helicopters have been used for purposes beyond their military mission. In the fall of 2020, the opposition denounced that then Defense Minister Olta Xhaçka used the helicopter to participate in Socialist Party activities. Earlier in 2013, the Socialists and the opposition at the time accused Arben Imami, the former Defense Minister in the Berisha government, of allowing the use of helicopters and pilots from the Farka air base for a singer's music video.

The latest case of the misuse of an Air Force helicopter for a trip to the Alps is criticized as an illegal act and detrimental to Albanian military capacities.

"Air Force vehicles cannot be used to do tourist tours, they are not taxis. It is up to you to turn the Air Force into a tourist agency or a taxi agency," Artur Meçollari, former deputy commander of the Navy, told BIRN.

"It is completely illegal. It brings about unnecessary depreciation of the capacities and readiness of the Armed Forces, for an activity that is not within their scope of work," he added.

Lindita Metaliaj, a member of the Democratic Party and member of the National Security Committee, also called the case flagrant. Metaliaj also said that the case deserved to be investigated because the violation of the law and the misuse of public money was clear, according to her.

"The use of these funds for private purposes makes the illegality even more flagrant," said Metaliaj, while accusing the prime minister of installing a culture of using state funds for private purposes.

“…if the justice systems were to function, they should be held accountable for the wasted taxpayers’ money,” she concluded./ BIRN