Summer is approaching, plane ticket prices are getting more expensive, 100-200 euros one way

If in the first part of the year you could have traveled with cheap tickets, 20-50 euros one way, the approach of the summer months has brought a significant increase in their cost, especially towards Italy, which is the main travel destination, with about 42% of the total, according to a research that Monitor conducted on the official websites of the main operators in the country.

If you are traveling to Milan on August 9-11, with Wizz Air, the outbound flight costs a minimum of 10.4 thousand lek and the cheapest return flight is 22.9 thousand lek, for a total of 38.2 thousand lek, or 363 euros. With Ryanair, another low-cost operator, the outbound flight to Milan on August 9 costs 70-102 euros, while the return flight on the 11th costs from 168-182 euros.

Milan (including Bergamo) is the main destination for passengers flying to and from Rinas. According to Tirana International Airport (TIA) data, in 2024, 1 million passengers traveled from Rinas to Milan (Malpensa and Milan-Bergamo), or 10% of the total.

London is the second most frequented destination after Milan. For the same dates, from Tirana to London, the ticket ranges from 14-27 thousand lekë, while the return ticket from 9.4-11.4 thousand lekë, with the cheapest ticket reaching 23.3 thousand lekë, with Wizz Air. With Ryanair, the outbound to London on the same date costs 123-184 euros, while the return ticket from 68-96 euros.

According to TIA data, 838 thousand passengers traveled to London and vice versa in 2024, or 7.8% of the total.

Rome is slightly cheaper, with one-way fares of 6.4 thousand lek and return fares of 12-14.5 thousand lek, with Wizz Air. Ryanair is more competitive for Rome, with one-way fares of 35-52 euros on August 9 and return fares of 92-103 euros on August 11.

Rome is the third largest flight destination, with 607 thousand passengers in 2024, or 5.7% of the total.

To Bologna (the fourth destination, with 476 thousand passengers, or 4.4% of the total) for the same dates, the one-way ticket costs 6.4-82 thousand lek and the return ticket costs 9.3-19.2 thousand lek, with Wizz Air.

Istanbul, the seventh destination, with 407 thousand passengers in 2024, is always expensive. On August 9, from Tirana to Istanbul with Air Albania, the cheapest ticket is 132 euros and the most expensive is 328 euros. Return to Tirana on August 11 costs from 148 to 276 euros. With Pegasus Airlines, the outbound on the same date is 73 euros and the return is 103 euros.

If you want to go to Paris in the summer, the one-way ticket costs 15.6 thousand lek and the return ticket costs 18.7 thousand lek, with Wizz Air. With Ryanair, the price costs 172 euros to Paris and 135 euros return.

Barcelona is another destination that is expensive in the summer. To go on August 9, a ticket costs from 13.5-18.7 thousand lek and return 22.4 thousand lek, with Wiz Air.

Germany is not cheap either, as it is the second most popular destination after Italy (10.3% of total trips in 2024). To Frankfurt, the most frequented of the German cities, a one-way flight on August 11 costs 19.7 thousand lek and a return flight 6.2 thousand lek, with Wizz Air.

Increasing ticket prices during the summer season is a permanent practice of airlines, as a result of high demand for travel. After mid-September, prices start to decrease, only to increase again during the end-of-year holidays. The cheapest tickets are generally from February to April.

In recent years, the entry of low-cost operators has led to ticket prices dropping to as low as 20 euros one-way, if booked two or three months in advance. The closer the travel date gets, the more expensive the trips become.

According to TIA data, a record number of 10.7 million passengers traveled in 2024, with an increase of 47.5% on an annual basis, driven by Albania's return to a tourist destination, where about 60% of passengers were foreigners.

INSTAT reported that in the first quarter of this year, growth slowed significantly. For January-March 2025, 2,083,050 passengers traveled by air, compared to 1,909,757 passengers in the same period last year, an increase of 9.1%. A year earlier, the expansion in the first quarter had been around 64%.

According to TIA, in February 2025, when the latest data was reported, Wizz Air was the largest operator in the market, with 63.2% of flights. In second place is Ryanair, with 22.8%, followed by Pegasus Airline with 2.79% and Air Albania with 2.3%./ Monitor