Budget ‘Maldives of Europe’ with £1 beers to get direct flights for first time

A HOLIDAY hotspot which has soared in popularity due to cheap deals and beautiful beaches is about to be much more accessible to Brits.

A new airport is being built there – and new flights could connect it to the UK.

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Vlora, in Albania, is part of the Albanian Riviera which has seen Brits flocking to visit this year.

Currently, Brits have to fly to the city of Tirana and then drive hours to get to the seaside resort.

However, Vlora International Airport is set to open in April 2024 – making holidays much easier.

The £90million airport will have a two-mile runway and handle up to two million passengers a year.

While it hasn’t yet been confirmed which routes will operate from the airport, Ryanair recently announced 17 new routes to Tirana from the UK.

Budget airlines could follow suit when the airport in Vlore opens next year.

There has been some opposition following its construction due to its proximity to the protected Narta Lagoon which is home to thousands of species.

However, locals have hoped it will help drive tourism to the area.

Adriatik Sela, who lives in the nearby village Akerni, told local media that he hoped the business would help create more jobs.

And the Ministry of Tourism said they chose the area because a military airstrip was previously in construction there in the 1920s.

The Albanian Riviera has risen in popularity this summer with Brits wanting a cheap beach holiday.

Not only are flights just a few hours from the UK, but where beer costs £1.10 and hotels start from £20.

And some have even compared it to the Maldives with overwater day villas for just £8.

A new airport in the UK could also reopen for the first time in a decade too.

Plymouth Airport was forced to close back in 2011 – but hopes to relaunch passenger flights.

And Manston Airport in the UK is hoping to restart scheduled passenger flights for the first time in nearly 20 years.

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