IR Open Mic - 25-12 - Full Interview with Piervittorio Farabbi (Season 1, Episode 3)

Welcome to Open Mic, the airport- and aviation-focused podcast hosted by Curtis Grad, Chief Executive and Founding Partner of Modalis Infrastructure Partners. Each episode features in-depth conversations with global aviation leaders—airport executives, investors, innovators, and policy experts—exploring the trends, challenges, and opportunities shaping the airport and aviation landscape. In this episode, Curtis speaks with Piervittorio Farabbi, Chief Operating Officer of Tirana International Airport, Albania’s primary international gateway. Together, Curtis and Piervittorio discuss airport privatization, managing exponential traffic growth, and what it takes to scale infrastructure, operations, and airspace at one of Europe’s fastest-growing airports. They dive into: ✈️ Piervittorio’s global career journey—from airport master planning and consulting at Landrum & Brown and IATA to senior airport leadership roles across Italy and the Balkans. 🌍 Tirana International Airport’s extraordinary growth—from 3.3 million passengers in 2019 to nearly 12 million today—and what enabled Europe’s fastest-growing airport. 🏗️ The role of private concessionaires, including the Kastrati Group, in unlocking untapped demand, accelerating investment and modernizing infrastructure. 🧠 Managing complexity at scale: airspace constraints, fuel supply, terminals, master planning and stakeholder coordination during hyper-growth. 🏛️ Albania’s transformation—from a closed communist state to an emerging European tourism and connectivity hub—and how history, culture and geography shape aviation demand. Timestamps 1:30 Piervittorio’s career path from consulting to airport operations 7:00 Returning home: leading regional airports in Italy 9:50 Taking on operations leadership at Tirana International Airport and explosive passenger growth 12:57 The Kastrati Group and the power of private airport concessions 16:39 Diaspora traffic, tourism growth and route development 18:18 Crazy aviation stories from Perugia and Nigeria 22:29 Albania’s history, architecture and national identity 27:30 Magic Mirror: Rapid-fire questions with Piervittorio 🎧 Tune in for insider perspectives from airport and aviation thought leaders. 🔔 Subscribe for future episodes. 💬 Like and Comment: What role should private concessionaires play in scaling airport capacity across Europe? 🌐 Visit https://airportir.com/open-mic to hear more episodes and stay informed about the global aviation developments that matter to you.