Shkodër Airport

The closure was a direct result of a combination of factors: the post-communist restructuring and downsizing of the Albanian military, severe economic constraints that made maintaining multiple air bases unfeasible, and the complete obsolescence of the aircraft it was designed to support. The 1997 civil unrest in Albania, during which many military bases were looted and damaged, also contributed to its final dereliction.

The site is completely abandoned and in a state of advanced decay. The single concrete runway is still clearly visible from satellite imagery but is severely cracked, weathered, and extensively overgrown with grass and weeds, making it unusable for any aviation purposes. There is no remaining aviation infrastructure, such as hangars or a control tower. The land is reportedly used informally by local residents for agriculture, livestock grazing, and sometimes for unregulated driving practice or street racing.

Known as Shtoj Airfield (or Aerodromi i Shtojit), this was a purely military installation built during the Cold War under Enver Hoxha's regime. It served as a forward operating base and dispersal airfield for the Albanian Air Force. Its primary role was to scatter military aircraft away from main bases to protect them in case of an attack. It mainly housed fighter jets, specifically the Shenyang J-6 (the Chinese version of the MiG-19), which was the backbone of the air force. Due to its proximity to the border with the former Yugoslavia, it held significant strategic importance. The airport never handled any public or commercial civilian air traffic.

There are no known or credible plans to reopen or redevelop the old Shtoj Airfield (AL-0016). All current discussions and official government plans for a new airport in the Shkodër region are focused on the separate and much larger former Gjadër Air Base (ICAO: LADG), located approximately 25 km to the south. The Gjadër base is undergoing a major redevelopment to become a NATO Tactical Air Base, and there are parallel proposals to establish a civilian terminal for low-cost carriers at that location. The small size, poor condition, and lack of infrastructure at the Shtoj site make it an unviable candidate for modernization.