Mabco sa, Behghet Pacolli's company, has threatened the Albanian government with a lawsuit in international arbitration for the Vlora airport. Through a letter sent to the highest authorities of the country, Mabbco has requested the urgent intervention of the Albanian state, otherwise on May 28 it will resort to international arbitration.
MABCO Constructions SA has sent an official letter to the Ministry of Infrastructure and Energy, the State Attorney's Office, the Prime Minister's Office and other responsible institutions, announcing that the situation in the Vlora International Airport project has gone from repeated warnings to the de facto exclusion of MABCO from the construction site and from real control of its investment.
In the letter, MABCO emphasizes that it acts as the owner of 98% of the quotas of Vlora International Airport – VIA sh.pk, as the main investor, financier and guarantor of the project, and not as a regular contractor. The company claims that 2A Group, a partner with 2% of the quotas, is attempting to take de facto control of the project through a contested administration of VIA, registered with the Central Bank of Albania, although according to MABCO there is no quota transfer filed for registration with the Central Bank of Albania or approved by the Ministry of Economy and Finance.
MABCO reports that on May 14, 2026, the contested VIA administration issued a notice to terminate construction relations, which MABCO rejected on May 16, 2026. On May 17, access to the site was restricted, while on May 18, MABCO representatives, engineers, specialists, employees and subcontractors were physically prohibited from entering the site. On May 21, according to the company, another notice was issued that aims to present MABCO's exclusion as a "refusal to cooperate" and create a basis for the unilateral inventory or seizure of MABCO's works, equipment, documentation and technical materials.
According to MABCO, this exclusion is not based on any final court decision, any lawful decision of the Contracting Authority, and any valid act that would justify the removal of the main investor from a strategic project. The company also claims that the State Police was used for the practical implementation of a contested private decision, creating a factual situation in favor of 2A Group.
The letter also raises concerns about the security and freedom of movement of international specialists in the construction site accommodation area, including Chinese specialists, as well as the blocking for more than seven months of critical certification equipment, including fire engines and X-Ray equipment. MABCO demands that, before any step towards certification of the airport, an independent international technical audit of the runway and airfield systems, including AGL, ALS, PAPI and relevant airport security systems, be carried out.
MABCO announces that, since September 2025, it has sent over 50 letters and formal notices to Albanian institutions, without receiving any substantive response. According to the company, the actions and inactions of the institutions constitute a violation of the Concession Agreement, including Articles 11.5, 11.9, 13 and 18, as well as the Swiss-Albania Bilateral Investment Treaty.
In economic terms, MABCO states that the project is supported by over €90 million in capital, €6 million in interest paid on the financing, €10 million in direct contributions from MABCO, €152 million in collateral exposure and a first-demand financial guarantee of €72 million. The company estimates that the economic value at risk is in the range of €250–300 million.
Through the letter, MABCO requests the Albanian state to guarantee immediate and protected access to the construction site for MABCO and its staff by May 28, 2026, to stop using the police to exclude the main investor, to ensure freedom of movement and basic conditions for employees and specialists, to preserve evidence, to unblock critical equipment at customs, to not recognize the effects of the contested notifications of May 14 and 21, 2026, and to organize an urgent institutional meeting with the Ministry of Interior, the Public Works Department, the Civil Aviation Authority, Albcontrol, the Independent Engineer and BKT.
In the absence of compliance with these requirements by May 28, 2026, MABCO warns of the initiation of international arbitration against the Republic of Albania under the Switzerland-Albania Bilateral Investment Treaty and the pursuit of all legal remedies provided for in the Concession Agreement and in law.
"MABCO remains ready for constructive engagement with the Albanian state on the basis of the legal structure of the concession, but cannot accept the consolidation of a situation that excludes the main investor from the project at a time when it is entering the final phase of certification and operation," the company's letter states.
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