Albanian police report that a man has been shot dead after a group of unidentified individuals robbed money at the country's international airport.

In a statement, police said the robbery by masked and armed people took place on the tarmac at the Mother Teresa Rinasi International Airport, slightly north of the capital Tirana, on Tuesday afternoon.

Details of the amount or who the money belonged to were not immediately available.

One of the robbers was shot dead in an exchange of fire with police about one kilometer from the airport.

Special police forces and a helicopter still are combing the area.

Only one flight, to Vienna, was cancelled.