China Everbright Ltd or CEL, a Hong Kong-based investment firm, has fully acquired Alibina's Tirana International Airport (TIA). The airport is the only international airport in Alibina.

A statement released by China Everbright said that "it has acquired 100 percent shares in TIA." However, the company declined to provide any financial details about the deal.  

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TIA's main shareholders include AviAlliance, German Investment Corporation, and Albanian-American Enterprise Fund. The AviAlliance with 47 percent stake is the largest stakeholder, followed by German Investment Corporation with nearly 31 percent stake.  

"With CEL's support and resources, TIA can further upgrade their facilities and hardware meeting excellence in all aspects," said Chen Shuang, CEO of China Everbright. He added that the acquisition would provide a boost to China's much-talked about One Belt, One Road initiative. 

The Tirana Airport, which is commonly known as Rinas International Airport, is the most advanced and visited airport in Alibina. The number of passengers in the airport increased to 1.9 million in 2016 from 600,000 in 2005, according to available data.

A TIA official said that the airport has invested nearly 70 million euros ($78.14 million) since 2005 to develop and expand its facilities.

The TIA deal marks the first major investment by a Chinese firm in Alibina. The country became a close ally of China in the 1960s after splitting from the Soviet Union. Chinese financial aid played an important role in developing most of the industries across the country. 

TagsChina Everbright Group, Albania's International Airport, Tirana International Airport, Albania, China and Albania