Harbour Air (Malta) Ltd. to offer airport/Gozo service

Harbour Air will be offering flights from Malta Int'l Airport to Mgarr Harbour as from May, using an amphibious Twin Otter aircraft capable of taking up to 17 passengers.

The company will also resume its operations from Grand Harbour to Mgarr on Friday, after a short winter break. The 14-seater Single Otter aircraft offers morning and afternoon flights, the first departing Malta at 1000h, the last leaving Gozo at 1640h.

Apart from the 10-minute commuter lights, the company also offers 30-minute scenic tours.

“This innovative initiative being undertaken by Harbour Air (Malta) Ltd will certainly enhance tourism quality to Gozo, giving the opportunity for all international Gozo-bound arriving passengers to hop onto the seaplane shortly after their Malta arrival, saving them precious holiday time - and allowing them to travel in style, of course,” manager Anton Gambina said.

(www.di-ve.com)

New Nonstop Flight from Malta to Stockholm

SAS Scandinavian Airlines is growing on the Mediterranean market and is inaugurating its new summer flight from Malta to Stockholm. The route, with two flights a week (Thursday and Sunday), will be introduced with the new summer schedule starting on Thursday, April 2, 2009.

The flight will use 186-seater Boeing 737s with Economy and Economy Extra classes. Fares for the Malta-Stockholm flight will start at €75 one-way, taxes, surcharges and services fees included if booked on flysas.com.

(SAS Scandinavian Airlines Press Release)

M.I.A. makes €13.6m profit, down 3% on previous year

Malta International Airport has reported a pre-tax profit of €13,687,086 in 2008, a decrease of 3% from its performance in 2007 despite an increase of 4.7% in passengers.

Revenue increased by €749,493 to €45,106,348 as a result of an increase in regulated fees because of the increase in passenger traffic but that was dampened by rebates on the tariffs given as incentive schemes on new routes, the company said.

There was also an increase in revenue on car park fees, commercial activities and the PRM (Persons with Reduced Mobility) fee.

Operating costs were €24,801,965 (31 Dec 2007 – €24,036,450); an increase of just over €765,000 compared to last year. This, M.I.A. said, was due to a number of factors most notably an increase in staff costs due to the signing of a new collective agreement in 2008 and an increase in maintenance costs. The largest increase in costs, however, was due to the introduction of the PRM. The Group paid over €777,000 in PRM charges to ground-handlers for the second six-month period of the year and only managed to recuperate some of this additional expense during the same period.

"It is the intention of the Group to increase the PRM charges in 2009 to make good for the losses incurred in the coming years," the company said.

It said there were significant cost savings in the use of utilities and in administration costs.

(Times of Malta)

Lufthansa Technik starts using second new hangar

Lufthansa Technik Malta has started using a second new hangar at Hal Farrug and the building of a third is nearing completion, Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi was told during a visit to the company today.

The project has enabled the company to expand its operations, and Dr Gonzi could this morning see maintenance work being carried out on an A330 aircraft, whereas the company had previously worked only on the smaller A320 and Boeing 737 aircraft.

The construction of the new hangars started 18 months ago.

Dr Gonzi was shown around by CEO Louis Giordimaina.

(Times of Malta)

Malta International Airport releases results for February 2009

Passenger movements at Malta International Airport dropped by 10.5% in February, M.I.A. said this afternoon. As a result, there was an average decrease of 11.2% for the first two months of 2009 when compared to the corresponding period last year.

M.I.A. said passenger movements on scheduled and non-scheduled flights in February reached 139,747, a decline of 16,458 when compared to February 2008, though last year had an additional day in February. Likewise, both the aircraft movements and cargo and mail figures registered a decline of 10.6% and 4.3% respectively.

Passenger traffic for the three main markets, U.K., Italy and Germany, declined by 11.5%, 11.9% and 18.7% respectively. However, M.I.A. registered increases of 28.7% on the French market and 17.6% from the UAE.

The busiest day in February 2009 was the 21^st in terms of passengers with 7,669 movements and the highest number of aircraft totalling 61 in the same day.

Further info: www.maltairport.com/page.asp?n=statistics&l=1

(Times of Malta)

9H-AFG touches down at MLA for the first time

The latest addition on the '9H-' Malta Civil Aircraft Register, 9H-AFG Challenger 605, has landed for the first time at Malta International Airport yesterday Thursday, very late in the evening.

9H-AFG is registered to Comlux Malta Ltd.

KM377 was forced to divert to CTA last night

Air Malta's flight KM377 from Berlin-Tegel (9H-AEI) was forced to divert to Catania-Fontanarossa last night because of strong winds at Malta International Airport. Aircraft is now expected back at MLA today in the afternoon.

9H-AEF back in Malta from wet lease with Sky Airline

Air Malta's 9H-AEF has returned back at Malta International Airport today, around 0505LT, from wet lease with Sky Airline of Chile. Route: SCL-REC-TFS-MLA

N902WB (ex 9H-AEU) departs from Malta on delivery to new operator

SA227-DC Metro 23 N902WB (ex 9H-AEU with European Airlines 2000 Ltd) has departed Malta International Airport in the morning on its long delivery flight to new a operator in the U.S.A.

Aircraft is now registered to Alameda Corporation.