Tirana International Airport provides comprehensive assistance to passengers with reduced mobility (PRM) in compliance with European Union regulations. These free services ensure that travelers with disabilities, injuries, or other conditions affecting mobility can navigate the airport safely and comfortably. Whether you are departing, arriving, or making a connection through Tirana, dedicated staff stand ready to help you through every step of your journey.
Who Qualifies for PRM Services
Special assistance applies to passengers experiencing reduced mobility for any reason. This includes permanent disabilities, temporary injuries, sensory impairments, cognitive conditions, or age-related mobility challenges. You qualify if you need help moving through the airport, boarding aircraft, or managing travel procedures independently.
- Physical disabilities: Wheelchair users, limited walking ability, balance issues
- Temporary injuries: Broken limbs, recent surgery, casts or crutches
- Visual impairments: Blindness or limited vision requiring guidance
- Hearing impairments: Deafness or hearing loss affecting communication
- Cognitive conditions: Autism, dementia, intellectual disabilities
- Age-related mobility: Elderly passengers with difficulty walking distances
- Hidden disabilities: Conditions not visibly apparent but requiring assistance
Requesting Assistance
Request PRM services at least 48 hours before your flight to ensure staff and equipment availability. Notify your airline when booking tickets or contact them later through customer service. Airlines communicate your needs to Tirana Airport, which prepares appropriate assistance for your arrival.
How to Request
When booking flights online, airlines typically include special assistance options during checkout. Look for sections labeled "Special Services," "Accessibility," or "Medical/Mobility Assistance." Select appropriate service levels describing your specific needs.
If you've already booked tickets, contact your airline's customer service by phone or email. Explain what assistance you require. Most carriers maintain dedicated PRM service teams trained to arrange accommodations. They'll record your needs in your booking and notify Tirana Airport before your travel date.
Provide detailed information about your requirements. Do you need wheelchair assistance throughout the airport or just for long walking distances? Can you climb stairs independently or require specialized equipment? The more specific you are, the better staff can prepare appropriate support.
Request Details
Departure Assistance
When departing from Tirana, assistance begins from the moment you arrive at the airport terminal. Trained personnel meet you at designated points and escort you through check-in, security, and to your boarding gate.
Arrival at Terminal
Dedicated parking spaces for passengers with reduced mobility sit directly in front of the terminal entrance (Parking P1). These spaces provide easy access minimizing walking distances. If someone drops you off, designated areas allow vehicles to stop near entrances for convenient passenger transfer.
Once inside the terminal, locate assistance call points or inform airport staff at information desks that you require PRM services. Even if you haven't pre-arranged assistance, staff will help you, though advance notice ensures faster service with less waiting.
Check-in Assistance
Staff accompany you to airline check-in counters, handling luggage and managing paperwork if needed. They'll ensure airline personnel know about your mobility requirements and confirm any special needs like wheelchair transport or assistance boarding the aircraft.
If you're traveling with mobility devices like wheelchairs or walking aids, check-in staff arrange their transport. Personal wheelchairs typically get checked as luggage and stored in the aircraft hold. Airport wheelchairs replace them during your time in the terminal, then crew assist you boarding using aircraft wheelchairs that fit down narrow aisles.
Security Screening
Assistance personnel escort you through security checkpoints, explaining procedures and helping with trays, bags, and belongings. Security staff accommodate passengers needing extra time or unable to stand during screening. Alternative screening methods exist for travelers with medical devices or conditions preventing standard security procedures.
Wheelchair users receive security screening while seated when appropriate. Medical equipment, medications, and mobility aids undergo inspection but staff handle everything carefully. Inform security personnel about any medical implants, devices, or conditions requiring special consideration during screening.
To Boarding Gate
After security clearance, staff escort you to your departure gate. They remain with you until boarding begins or connect you with airline personnel taking over assistance. If you need rest areas, restrooms, or food services en route, staff accommodate these needs.
The airport's VIP lounge welcomes passengers with reduced mobility. If you have lounge access, staff escort you there and ensure the facility accommodates your needs. Lounge areas provide comfortable seating and amenities while you wait for boarding.
Boarding Aircraft
Passengers requiring assistance board before general passengers, ensuring adequate time without crowds. Airline staff use appropriate equipment - wheelchairs, ambulifts, or boarding bridges - based on your needs and aircraft type.
Crew help you reach your seat and stow carry-on luggage. They'll brief you on safety procedures and ensure you're comfortable before other passengers board. If you're traveling with companions, airlines seat you together whenever possible at no extra charge.
Arrival Assistance
When landing at Tirana, assistance meets you at the aircraft door. Staff help you disembark using appropriate equipment, then escort you through the terminal to baggage claim, customs, and ultimately to ground transportation or meeting parties.
Disembarking Aircraft
Airline crew assist you leaving your seat and moving to the aircraft door. Depending on gate position and your mobility level, you'll use a boarding bridge, ambulift, or wheelchair assistance descending stairs.
If you checked a personal wheelchair or mobility device, inform arriving staff. They'll coordinate retrieving it from baggage handling so you can use your own equipment if preferred rather than airport wheelchairs.
Through Terminal to Exit
Assistance personnel escort you through passport control (for international arrivals), to baggage claim, and through customs. They help retrieve luggage from carousels and manage customs declarations if needed.
Staff remain with you until reaching the arrivals hall where family, friends, or transportation providers wait. If you need help arranging taxis or finding rental cars, they'll assist with these services before concluding your airport assistance.
Transit and Connection Assistance
Connecting through Tirana between flights, assistance covers your entire time at the airport. Staff meet you at your arriving aircraft, escort you to your connecting flight's gate, and ensure smooth transfers between airlines if needed.
Allow adequate connection time when booking flights requiring mobility assistance. While staff work efficiently, providing proper care takes longer than passengers moving independently. Minimum connection times should exceed standard recommendations to account for assistance procedures.
Guide Dogs and Service Animals
Certified service dogs accompanying passengers with disabilities travel free in the aircraft cabin. Notify airlines when requesting PRM services that you're traveling with a service animal. Airlines require documentation proving the animal's training and your need for its assistance.
Guide dogs remain with you throughout the airport and during flights. Relief areas exist at the airport for service animals needing breaks before boarding. Assistance staff know their locations and escort you there if needed.
Medical Equipment and Devices
Airlines transport wheelchairs, walkers, crutches, and other mobility aids free as medical equipment separate from regular baggage allowances. Inform airlines about equipment dimensions and weight when booking to ensure aircraft can accommodate items.
Battery-powered wheelchairs require special handling due to lithium battery regulations. Contact airlines well before traveling to arrange proper documentation and packaging. Most carriers accept these wheelchairs but procedures must follow safety protocols.
Medical equipment like oxygen concentrators, CPAP machines, or medications travel in carry-on luggage. Bring prescriptions or doctor's letters explaining medical necessity. Security screening accommodates medical devices, and cabin crew assist stowing them safely during flights. More details appear on our baggage regulations page.
PRM Service Tips
- Request assistance 48 hours in advance when possible
- Arrive at airport with extra time for assistance procedures
- Bring medical documentation for equipment and medications
- Inform staff about all specific needs clearly
- Ask questions if unsure about any procedures
- Services are completely free under EU regulations
- Don't hesitate to request help even without advance notice
- Companions can accompany you through assistance procedures
Your Rights as PRM Passenger
European Union Regulation 1107/2006 establishes rights for passengers with reduced mobility. These regulations apply at all EU airports including Tirana, ensuring consistent assistance standards regardless of airline or destination.
Right to Assistance
You cannot be denied boarding due to disability unless genuine safety concerns exist. Airlines must explain any refusals and offer alternative flights accommodating your needs. Assistance services remain free - airports and airlines cannot charge for PRM support.
Right to Information
Airlines and airports must provide clear information about available assistance, how to request it, and what services you can expect. This information should be accessible to people with various disabilities through websites, phone services, and airport signage.
Right to Compensation
If airlines damage or lose your wheelchair or mobility device, they must compensate you for repairs or replacement. Immediate temporary equipment should be provided if your device becomes unusable during travel. This is also covered under general passenger rights.
Filing Complaints
If you experience inadequate assistance or discrimination, you can file complaints with the airport, your airline, or Albanian civil aviation authorities. Document incidents with dates, times, names of staff involved, and descriptions of problems encountered.
Contact Tirana Airport directly at (+355) 4 238 1800 to report service issues. Airlines maintain customer service departments handling accessibility complaints. Persistent problems can be escalated to regulatory authorities overseeing passenger rights compliance.
Traveling with Children
Parents or guardians with reduced mobility traveling with young children receive assistance managing both their mobility needs and child supervision. Staff help with strollers, carry-on bags, and keeping children together during airport procedures.
Children traveling alone who require special assistance due to disabilities receive dedicated support. Airlines maintain unaccompanied minor services that include PRM accommodations when needed. These combined services ensure safe travel for young passengers with mobility challenges.
PRM Service Contact
For questions about reduced mobility services, specific accessibility needs, or assistance during your visit to Tirana Airport:
Airport Information: (+355) 4 238 1800
Request PRM Services: Contact your airline 48 hours before travel
On-site Assistance: Speak to any airport staff member
Planning Your Journey
Successful travel with reduced mobility requires advance planning. Beyond requesting airport assistance, consider the complete journey including transportation to and from the airport, accommodation accessibility, and destination facilities.
Getting to the Airport
Taxis serving Tirana Airport can accommodate wheelchairs and mobility devices, though requesting accessible vehicles in advance ensures availability. The airport bus service operates vehicles with low floors and space for wheelchairs on some routes. Check with bus operators about accessible service times.
Hotels near the airport like Hotel Airport Tirana provide accessible rooms and can arrange transportation matching your mobility needs. Booking accessible accommodation eliminates last-minute complications.
International Travel Considerations
Different countries maintain varying accessibility standards. Research destination airports and airlines to understand what assistance they provide. Some international locations exceed EU standards while others offer less comprehensive services.
If connecting through multiple airports, request PRM assistance at each location. Your originating airline should arrange end-to-end assistance, but confirming each segment prevents gaps in service during transfers.