Leipzig Airport cancels direct flights to Tirana – what now?

Leipzig Airport cancels direct flights to Tirana – what now?

Leipzig/Halle Airport is experiencing a real rush of activity this summer. Many travelers use the numerous connections that the popular air hub has to offer. But while the holiday season is in full swing, there are also changes for the upcoming winter season. From November 1, 2025, the direct connection to Tirana, the capital of Albania, will be discontinued. This route was previously served by the airline WizzAir.

In the turbulent aviation landscape, the cancellation of the connection from Leipzig to Tirana is viewed with mixed feelings. The reasons for this decision are not clear, but there is speculation that demand was not sufficient. Loud Thuringia24 The utilization of flights to Tirana was still pleasingly high in October 2024, at almost 90 percent, but fell to just 62.2 percent in January 2025. This drop in passenger numbers could be seen as an indication of weakening interest in this connection.

New flight destinations and existing connections

However, that doesn't mean that Leipzig Airport abandons its travelers in winter. It also offers many other attractive travel destinations such as Mallorca, Fuerteventura, Corfu, Istanbul, Hurghada, Faro and London. The airport also launched new flights to Varna and Burgas in Bulgaria in May, in collaboration with ElectraAirways, which will remain in place. These innovations could be of interest to travelers who plan to fly via Leipzig in the next few months.

In an interesting look at the European aviation markets shows People's voice that WizzAir's plans for Tirana remain optimistic in the future: from the 2026 summer flight schedule, flights to Tirana will again be offered three times a week. This development suggests that interest in Albania continues.

Aviation is changing

A look at the general trends in air traffic shows loud Eurostat that passenger numbers in the EU recorded a strong increase of 8.9 percent in 2024 compared to the previous year. This is a promising signal for the industry, which has been severely affected by COVID-19 in recent years. Growth was observed in all EU countries, with the largest increases in countries such as the Czech Republic and Hungary.

The ongoing recovery in air traffic and the high number of passengers in recent months show that people have started traveling again and are increasingly booking flights. Despite the challenges that the airlines have to overcome, there is much to suggest that Germans and Europeans' desire to travel remains unbroken. It remains to be seen whether this will also have a positive impact on connections to Tirana.