Armed robbers have made off with a large sum of cash as it was being loaded on to a passenger plane in Albania.

One robber was shot dead in an exchange of gunfire with police at Mother Teresa International Airport in Tirana on Tuesday afternoon, but the cash was not recovered.

Up to five robbers reportedly smashed through a wire and iron airport gate in a van and took the cash as it was being loaded on to an Austrian Airlines plane.

As much as €10m (£8.6m) was taken according to Albanian media, though authorities have not confirmed the amount.

The dead man has been identified by his wife as Admir Murataj, who had been at large since 2013 after he was one of a dozen Albanians who broke out of prison in Greece.


Image: Forensic experts search for evidence near the village of Rinas, near Tirana, following the heist

Police said his accomplices fled and are still on the run.

Defence minister Olta Xhacka said she ordered military police and a special air forces battalion to install a security perimeter around the airport.

She said the government would "no longer allow the security of citizens and the country's image to suffer", as this is the second time in three years that Tirana airport has been targeted in a heist.

Police said they found the burned-out remains of three vehicles that were used in the robbery, in three different locations.

Passengers are reported to have been on the plane during the heist, and airport officials later said they were not in danger.

The Vienna-bound plane eventually took off several hours late.

Image: Robbers stole millions of euros from an Austria Airlines aeroplane

Albanian government ministers put blame on the company that runs the airport, Hong Kong-based China Everbright.

Interior minister Sander Lleshaj said that "security mechanisms, which are under the concessionary's responsibility, have not functioned".

The defence minister also accused the company of "persistent irresponsibility".

China Everbright rejected these claims as "incorrect" and said the country's police were responsible for protecting the airport.

In a statement, it said: "The airport does not belong to the Chinese. It belongs to all Albanians, it is part of Albania's territory and by law it is protected by the state police."

Cash is often sent out of Albania by private banks because the country's central bank does not accept foreign currency.

Austrian Airlines said it has temporarily suspended the transportation of cash.

A similar robbery occurred at the airport in 2016.

Albanian President Ilir Meta called on authorities to find the perpetrators as soon as possible.

Speaking at a news conference, he said: "I consider such a repeat event... as a serious threat to national security, public order and the country's image."