On 25 January, 40 Albanian citizens were returned to Tirana on a joint charter flight organised by Frontex, the European Border and Coast Guard Agency. The flight started from Madrid and had a stopover in Rome. This was the first return operation fully initiated and organised by Frontex, from the pre-return procedures, chartering of the aircraft to contacts with Albanian authorities. Prior to the operation, each of the returnees received an individual return decision from the authorities of the relevant EU countries. The agency was responsible to set the timeframe, the operational procedures and, through the EU Delegation in Albania and the Frontex Liaison Officer, to contact the Albanian authorities. On the same time, the excellent cooperation with Spanish and Italian authorities ensured the success of the flight.
