Albania has inaugurated its National Flight School, a facility built to train pilots and air traffic controllers to NATO standards, with Prime Minister Edi Rama confirming the school will be open to candidates from Kosovo and other NATO member states in the region, Scan TV reported on July 3.
The school was established in partnership with Elbit Systems, the Israeli defence technology company, and will be supported by two new Bell 505 training helicopters now incorporated into Albania’s air force fleet.
Rama said the school forms part of a broader drive to bring Albania’s armed forces up to NATO operational standards by 2030, and positioned it as a regional asset rather than a purely national one. “We have a considerable number of interested parties, while our National Flight School is also open to train and certify new pilots from NATO countries in our region and undoubtedly starting from Kosovo,” he said, adding that a National Special Forces School, again developed with Elbit Systems, is the next planned step.
Defence Minister Ermal Nufi pointed to the role the new Bell 505 helicopters will play in the school’s training programme. “These two new Bell 505 training helicopters have a special role, as a modern platform for training pilots for the future,” he said. “They will create the conditions for trainees to develop their skills in a training environment that supports the demands of the time.”
Ardi Veliu, Administrator of KAYO, the Albanian civil aviation authority, framed the school’s opening as a question of national self-sufficiency. “In every NATO member country, the ability to train pilots and technical personnel within the country is considered an important element of national security,” he said. “Even our country cannot rely indefinitely on training abroad.”
The development carries implications beyond defence. Albania has seen steady growth in its aviation sector, with international carriers expanding routes to Tirana in recent years. Building domestic capacity to train air traffic controllers signals a longer-term ambition to manage that growth from within.