Kuçovë Air Base

Kuçovë Air Base is a military airport located near Kuçovë, Berat, Albania.

History


Construction of the air base began in 1952 and was completed in 1955.

During the 1997 crisis, Kuçovë Air Base was captured by rebels. The damage caused by the protesters was not repaired until 1999.

From 2002 to 2004 the base was renovated to NATO standards. Improvements included a new control tower, new lighting, and repaving.

In 2004, Albania announced plans to scrap 80 obsolete aircraft in an effort to modernize for NATO membership. The aircraft being scrapped included MiG-15s, MiG-19s, and Yakovlev trainers as well as Shenyang J-5s and J-6s, Chinese-made MiG fighters. The aircraft were stored in Kuçovë during this process. Recently, many of these retired craft have been auctioned by the government of Albania.

In 2011, the base served as a filming location for the third episode of Top Gear's sixth series. The episode was seen as offensive to many due to derogatory comments made about Albanians by the cast.