Aircraft alarm leads to comedy of errors

A number of cargo-laden Boeing 747s which landed at the airport over the past week were investigated by Customs officials after a phone call from a citizen who was concerned the civilian-looking aircraft could be carrying weapons.

The 747s, in fact, belong to Evergreen, a U.S.-based international aviation contractor, which flies equipment and troops for the U.S. military.

The company normally uses Germany for its stopovers to places like Pakistan and Afghanistan, but last week its planes were diverted to Malta since the skies over mainland Europe were declared out of bounds because of the volcanic ash cloud crisis.

After the alert was raised, two department officials inspected two aircraft last Wednesday - the day they landed for what was meant to be an overnight stay.

There was nothing untoward with the cargo, which turned out to be nothing more than "very sophisticated" communications equipment, but the officials still felt Evergreen needed an export licence for it, even though the planes were not loading or unloading in Malta.

The red tape meant the planes were effectively grounded for an extra two days, but not just because of local procedures.

One of the aircraft, which was due to leave on Thursday, had to stay put till Friday because in the meantime its papers for Turkey had expired.

But even then it could not depart at its allotted time of 3 p.m. since the crew were held up in traffic caused by a major traffic disruption in Marsa which caused several delays at the airport.

Evergreen was planning more stopover flights in the coming weeks but cancelled its plans after what happened, according to Malcolm Camilleri, the managing director of the company that took care of its ground handling.

"There wasn't a programme of flights as such. These are technical flights and are not as predictable. But we were given the indication that more flights would follow and now they will not," Mr Camilleri said.

He would not be drawn on the intervention of the authorities. "I would need to know the details to comment and I don't have those details because we simply provide the ground handling, so the Customs Department owes us no explanation. However, if we lost this business due to red tape it would be a pity," he said.

"Overall," he added, "I get the impression that this sort of business is not given importance despite the fact that Malta International Airport makes an effort to promote it. It seems like all the importance is given to aircraft that carry tourists."

Asked for a comment, the U.S. Embassy said it was aware of the flights but pointed out that it was not tracking the commercial flights and was not involved in supporting the aircraft's operations during its stopover in Malta.

(www.timesofmalta.com)

Norwegian AS to double its flights from Copenhagen

Norwegian Air Shuttle is to add another flight from Copenhagen, Denmark) on Wednesday evenings, as from this summer, effectively doubling its frequency.

The company said that Malta was one of its most popular destinations.

The airline is the latest of many which have increased flights to Malta, which has resulted in over 220,000 additional seats on offer, 7.5% more than in 2009.

(www.di-ve.com)

Malta International Airshow 2010

The French Air Force's Patrouille de France will grace Malta's skies during the Malta Int'l Airshow. The team's participation has recently been officially confirmed. The aerobatic team's last visit to Malta was in the very first Malta airshow in 1993, held over Marsamxett harbour.

After last year's absence of the Royal Air Force in the flying display, the crowds will certainly welcome back the RAF with cofirmed participation of a Hawk and a Tucano, both in special colours and markings.

The Royal Netherlands Air Force has confirmed confirmation of the F-16 Fighting Falcon in the flying display. The jet, crowed-stealer of last year's show, will be very much welcomed on its return to Malta.

The United States Air Force has confirmed confirmation in the static display of a KC-135 Statrotanker and a C-21 Learjet so far.

Efforts are ongoing to increase U.S. and other countries' participation.

(www.maltairshow.com)

M.I.A. not to alter forecast following air travel disruption

Despite the decrease in passenger movements due to the air travel disruption caused by a volcanic eruption, Malta Int'l Airport will not be altering its forecast for the year at this time, CEO Julian Jäger said on Friday. The disruption, caused by the eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland, led to the cancellation of 336 flights to and from Malta, resulting in a loss of around 35,000 passenger movements for the airport.

However, the airport did not deem it opportune to alter its forecasts for the year, although it will be monitoring the ongoing effect until necessary and will be reviewing the situation as usual around mid-July.

To handle the situation, M.I.A. deployed additional staff to ensure smooth queue management and to deal with customer requests for information. It also set up more free internet access terminals for passengers to be able to rebook their travel arrangements online, and offered complimentary refreshments and respite facilities for mothers with infants.

Mr Jäger acknowledged that Air Malta’s contribution was "evidently crucial to assist stranded passengers within the limits of operational safety." The airline operated 60 relief flights, while Thomsonfly operated 4 extra flights and easyJet, FlyLAL, Jet Time and Thomas Cook UK each operated 2 extra flights in an effort to alleviate the backlog of stranded passengers.

He said that the situation highlighted the strategic importance of the national airline for connectivity of the Maltese islands with the world beyond.

The M.I.A. CEO said that it appeared that Europe may not have been prepared to deal with such a situation, and said that he expected civil aviation authorities across Europe to strive harder in order to devise a plan dealing with similar incidents in the future.

(www.di-ve.com)

Flight disruptions cost Air Malta €3.5m in lost revenue

Air Malta lost over €3.5 million during the seven-day volcanic ash cloud crisis that grounded airplanes across Europe.

The airline itself would only say it lost hundreds of thousands of euros a day when asked to quantify the damage. But Finance Minister T. Fenech said the financial impact alone had cost Air Malta about half a million euros a day in lost revenue.

Speaking yesterday at the launch of this year's Amitex travel fair, Mr Fenech praised the airline for stepping in to provide extra capacity and flights during the seven-day crisis.

The airline had to cancel 336 flights from and to Malta over the seven-day span, meaning a drop of 51.8% on regular traffic, equivalent to 32,044 passengers.

Mr Fenech said Air Malta had stepped in and provided extra capacity and flights, helping both the Maltese community and the islands' tourism and manufacturing industries.

The airline had diverted and increased staff at customer points and, this notwithstanding, some clients still had to wait some time before being able to change their tickets or offered re-routings.

Air Malta said it had honoured all tickets it had issued and also those issued by code-shared partners. It offered its passengers free re-booking on any Air Malta operated scheduled flight or full refund of tickets.

It started working on aggressive marketing plans in all destinations in the wake of the ash cloud disruption in a bid to return to the demand it was registering over the last months.

To minimse inconvenience to its passengers over the last few days, Air Malta operated over 60 relief flights to Rome, Graz, Marseilles, Zurich, Toulouse and London Gatwick.

It also made alternative arrangements for cargo stuck in Frankfurt by trucking it to other airports serviced by Air Malta such as Rome, Marseille, Toulouse and Rome.

(www.timesofmalta.com)

Air Malta flights back to normal schedule

All Air Malta flights are back to normal schedule, the airline said this afternoon.

Air Malta said that in the past days, it has honoured all tickets issued by the airline as well as those issued by code-shared partners and offered its passengers free re-booking on any Air Malta operated scheduled flight or full refund of tickets.

It said it will be operating two extra flights to Gatwick today and tomorrow.

Air Malta said it is still monitoring the situation closely and will advise its passengers of any changes in its flight operations as a result of any airspace restrictions on www.airmalta.com.

(www.timesofmalta.com)

FGS Main in Valletta Port on a courtesy visit

The German naval auxiliary vessel FGS Main (A 515) - an Elbe Class (Type 404) Tender - has arrived this morning in Valletta Port (Grand Harbour) on a courtesy visit.

FGS Main is scheduled to sail from Malta this Saturday, April 24th, at 1000LT.

Flight cancellations to/from Malta continues for the seventh day running

For the seventh day running, a number of flights from/to Malta had to be cancelled due to air space/airport closure in many European countries because of the volcanic ash cloud currently extending from Iceland down to southern Europe.

Ryanair has cancelled two scheduled flights from/to Bristol (FR3774/5) and Luton (FR3882/3).

Air Malta has cancelled six scheduled flights to/from: Leipzig/Halle (KM382/3), Duessuldorf (KM352/3), Hamburg (KM396/7), Amsterdam (KM396/7), Munich (KM306/7) and Stuttgarf (KM316/7).

Flight cancellations to/from Malta continues for the sixth day running

For the sixth day running, numerous flights from/to Malta had to be cancelled due to air space/airport closure in many European countries because of the volcanic ash cloud currently extending from Iceland down to southern Europe.

Thomas Cook Airlines UK has cancelled four flights from/to: East Midlands (TCX153K/153L), Glasgow (TCX623K/623L) and Manchester (TCX848K/848L).

Ryanair has cancelled seven scheduled flight from/to: Edinburgh (FR6695/6), Bournemouth (FR6551/2), Dublin (FR7242/3), Pisa (FR9992/3), Nykoping (FR1684/5), Treviso (FR3874/5) and Luton (FR3882/3).

easyJey has cancelled four scheduled fligts from/to: London-Gatwick (EZY8823/4), Manchester (EZY1997/8), Milan-Malpensa (EZY2595/6) and London-Gatwick (EZY8825/6).

Thomson Airways has cancelled two scheduled flights from/to: London-Gatwick (TOM4244/5) and Manchster (TOM2246/7).

Lufthansa has cancelled one scheduled flight from from/to Frankfurt.

Air Malta has cancelled ten scheduled flights to/from: London-Gatwick (KM100/1), Paris-Orly (KM466/7), London-Gatwick (KM116/7), Munich (KM306/7), Frankfurt (KM328/9), Manchester (KM146/7), Brussels (KM420/1), Amsterdam (KM394/5), London-Heathrow (KM102/3) and London-Gatwick (KM118/9); plus two charter flights to Vilnius/Paphos and Inverness/Durham Tees Valley.

Flight cancellations to/from Malta continues for the fifth day running

For the fifth day running, numerous flights from/to Malta had to be cancelled due to air space/airport closure in many European countries because of the volcanic ash cloud currently extending from Iceland down to southern Europe.

easyJet has cancelled three flights (from/to): London-Gatwick (EZY8823/4), Manchester (EZY1997/8) and Newcastle (EZY6497/8).

Ryanair has cancelled two flights (from/to): Dublin (FR7242/3) and Luton (FR3882/3).

Luxair has cancelled its extra relief flight from/to Luxembourg (LG985/6).

Lufthansa has cancelled its single flight from/to Frankfurt (LH4128/9).

Air Malta has cancelled 17 flights (to/from): Vienna (KM512/3), London-Heathrow (KM100/1), Amsterdam (KM 396/7), Paris-Orly (KM466/7), Milan-Malpensa (KM626/7), London-Gatwick (KM116/7), Munich (KM306/7), Paris-Charles de Gaulle (KM478/9), Zurich (KM490/1) Frankfurt (KM328/9), Brussels (KM420/1), Toulouse/Lyon (KM418/9), Munich (KM308/9), London-Heathrow (KM102/3), Duessuldorf (KM352/3), Manchester (KM146/7) and London-Gatwick (KM118/9)

Flight cancellations to/from Malta continues for the fourth day running

For the fourth day running, numerous flights from/to Malta had to be cancelled due to air space/airport closure in many European countries because of the volcanic ash cloud currently extending from Iceland down to south-eastern Europe.

easyJet has cancelled three flights (from/to): Rome-Fiumicino (EZY4693/4), London-Gatwick (EZY8823/4) and Manchester (EZY1997/8).

Ryanair has cancelled four flights (from/to): Luton (FR3882/3), Bristol (FR3774/5), Nyokoping (FR1684/5) and Leeds-Bredford (FR2448/9).

European Air Transport (DHL) has cancelled its single flt from/to Frankfurt (BCS942/3).

Luxair has cancelled its single flight from/to Luxembourg (LG985/6).

Europe Airpost has cancelled its single flight from/to Paris-Charles de Gaulle (FPO237G/238G).

SAS Scandinvian Airlines has cancelled its single flight from/to Stockholm-Arlanda (SAS1845/6).

Lufthansa has cancelled its single flight from/to Frankfurt (LH4128/9).

Air Malta has cancelled 21 flights (to/from): Leipzing-Halle (KM382/3), Manchester (KM138/9), Berlin-Tegel (KM376/7), London-Heathrow (KM100/1), Duessuldorf (KM352/3), Hamburg (KM368/9), Paris-Orly (KM466/7), Milan-Malpensa (KM626/7), London-Gatwick (KM116/7), Munich (KM306/7), Paris-Charles de Gualle (KM478/9), Zurich (KM490/1), Stuttgart (KM316/7), Frankfurt (KM328/9), Vienna (KM512/3), Paris-Orly (KM476/7), Brussels (KM420/1), Amsterdam (KM394/5), London-Heathrow (KM102/3), Lyon (KM454/5) and /Marseille (KM437/8).

Flight cancellations to/from Malta continues for the third day running

For the third day running, numerous flights from/to Malta had to be cancelled due to air space/airport closure in many European countries because of the volcanic ash cloud currently extending from Iceland down to southern Europe, reaching Italy.

easyJet has cancelled five flights (from/to): Rome-Fiumicino (EZY4693/4), London-Gatwick (EZY8823/4 & EZY8825/6), Milan-Malpensa (EZY2597/8) and Manchester (EZY1997/8)

Ryanair has cancelled six flights (from/to): Luton (FR3882/3), Bournemouth (FR6551/2), Dublin (FR7242/3), Pisa (FR9992/3) Treviso (FR3874/5) and Edinburgh (FR6695/6)

JetTime has cancelled two flights: Copenhagen-Malta-Billund-Malta-Copenhagen (JTG345/634 & JTG635/346)

Lufthansa has cancelled its single flight (from/to): Frankfurt (LH4128/9)

Norwegian AS has cancelled two flights (from/to): Copenhagen (DY3530/1), Oslo (DY1850/1)

Air Malta has cancelled 19 flights (to/from): Paris-Orly via Reggio Calabria (KM466/7), Vienna (KM512/3), London-Heathrow (KM100/1), Duessuldorf (KM352/3), Amsterdam (KM352/3), Milan-Malpensa (KM626/7), London-Gatwick (KM116/7), Munich (KM306/7), Bologna (KM630/1), Zurich (KM490/1), Frankfurt (KM328/9), London-Heathrow (KM108/9), Paris-Orly (KM476/7), Manchester (KM146/7), Brussels (KM420/1), London-Heathrow (KM102/3), Paris-Charles de Gaulle (KM478/9),London-Gatwick (KM118/9) and Birmingham (KM172/3).

More flights from/to Malta cancelled because of valconic ash

For the second day running, numerous flights from/to Malta had to be cancelled due to air space/ airport closure in northern & central Europe because of the volcanic ash cloud currently extending from Iceland, to the U.K., Scandinavia and moving down to central Europe and western Russia.

During the day, six flights to Malta (two by easyJet, two by Ryanair, one by Lufthansa and one by Finnair) had to be cancelled, while Air Malta had to cancel 16 flights from Malta (eight to the U.K, three to Germany, two to France and single flights to the Netherlands, Belgium and Russia respectively.

easyJet has cancelled two flights from London-Gatwick (EZY8823/4) and Newcastle (EZY6497/8).

Ryanair has cancelled two flights from Bristol (FR3774/5) and Luton (FR3882/3).

Lufthansa has cancelled its flight from Frankfurt (LH4128/9).

Finnair has cancelled its flight from Helsinki (AY2477/8).

Air Malta has cancelled from Malta 16 flights: three to London-Heathrow (KM100/1, KM102/3 & KM106/7); three flights to London-Gatwick (KM116/7, KM3118/9 & KM118/9); two flights to Manchester (KM146/7 & KM3138/9); and single flights to Amsterdam (KM396/7), Berlin-Tegel (KM376/7), Duessuldorf (KM352/3), Frankfurt (KM328/9), Paris-Orly (KM466/7), Paris-Charles de Gaulle (KM478/9), Brussels (KM420/1) and Moscow-Domodedovo (KM576/7).

Air Malta's flight to Vienna (KM512/3) had to divert to Graz instead because of the closure of Vienna airport

Volcano's ash from Iceland disrupts flights between Northern Europe and Malta

Ash clouds from Iceland's spewing volcano halted air traffic across Europe today as authorities closed air spaces over Britain, Ireland and the Nordic countries. Authorities said it was not even clear when it would be safe enough to fly again.

Britain's CAA said non-emergency flights would be banned in all airports until at least 1700 GMT. Irish authorities also closed their air space for at least eight hours, as did the aviation authorities in Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Finland.

Airport shutdowns and flight cancellations spread across Europe — to France, Belgium, the Netherlands and Switzerland — and the effects reverberated worldwide.

Consequently, easyJet and Ryanair were forced to cancel a number of scheduled flights to Malta from the U.K., Ireland and Sweden.

easyJet has cancelled two flights from London-Gatwick (EZY8823/4) and Manchester (EZY1997/8).

Ryanair has cancelled four flights from Dublin (FR7242/3), Leeds-Bradford (FR2448/9), Luton (FR3882/3) and Stockholm-Skavsta (FR1684/5).

A number of Air Malta's schedule flights to the U.K., Belgium and Russia were also effected. Six flights had to be cancelled. These are: to Manchester (KM146/7), London-Heathrow (KM102/3), London-Gatwick (KM118/9), Birmingham (KM172/3), Brussels (KM420/1) and Moscow-Shermetyevo (KM572/3).

Air Malta to launch new flights to Italy this summer

Air Malta will start operating twice-weekly flights to Genoa and Turin this summer.

In a statement, the airline said it has committed to float over 7,000 seats on these routes that are expected to generate new tourism opportunities from the Italian market.

Air Malta’s Turin flight will be operated 'directly' every Monday and Friday as from May 14th. Flights to Genoa will be operated via Reggio Calabria every Tuesday and Saturday as from May 4th.

The Italian market has always been important for the Maltese airline. The Rome route was in fact among the handful of routes that Air Malta operated since its birth in April, 1974.

Throughout the years the Italian market has grown and last year it became the second largest market after the U.K. for tourism to Malta. In 2009, Air Malta transported 259,139 scheduled passengers to/from Italy, representing an increase of 2%. As from the end of this month, Air Malta will be increasing its seat capacity on the Italian market by around 60,000 more seats, a 20% increase over last year.

To celebrate the launch of these new services, Air Malta is offering special fares starting from €79 return, inclusive of taxes. The two routes will complement Air Malta’s other Italian routes of Bologna, Verona, Rome and Milan that are also being offered starting from this low-fare price and will be served with additional convenient flying times.

(www.timesofmalta.com)

SR Technics deal sealed in Abu Dhabi

The Matese government yesterday sealed the final deal with Swiss-based aircraft maintenance company SR Technics for it to set up shop in Malta.

The deal will see Malta Enterprise lease a new €40 million hangar to the aviation giant for 30 years.

The deal was signed yesterday at the headquarters of the Mubdala Development Company, which owns SR Technics, in Abu Dhabi. The ceremony was attended by Prime Minister Dr L. Gonzi who is leading a trade delegation to the Gulf.

The first aircraft is expected to be serviced in the second half of this year and there are already clients lined up. SR Technics' €1.6 billion, 11-year maintenance deal with carrier easyJet has already been earmarked for the Malta plant and, yesterday, the company's top officials said their latest contract with Air Berlin could be assigned to the facilities in Luqa.

(www.timesofmalta.com)

Air Malta launches its 2010 Summer schedule

Air Malta has just launched its summer 2010 schedule of flights that offers customers a selection of 40 destinations to and from Malta connecting the Maltese Islands with various cities in Europe, Northern Africa and the Eastern Mediterranean. Running up to October 2010 the schedule offers convenient flight timings to major city airports.

With around 200 flights every week from Malta, this season, the National Airline has enhanced its network by increasing frequency of flights to popular destinations such as London-Gatwick, Munich, Vienna, Dusseldorf and Paris--Charles de Gaulle, whilst introducing new flights to Turin and Genova in Italy.

Speaking about the new summer schedule Dr Brock Friesen, Air Malta’s Chief Officer Commercial said, "We are sticking to our strategy to operate a schedule with convenient timings to central airports which are close to the city that they serve. We have opted for increased frequencies to the most convenient international airports, thus enabling passengers to fly when they want with the least ground transportation costs to and from airports. Our strategy to operate more flights has translated into better opportunities for short break traffic that helps the Maltese hotel industry to increase bed nights especially in shoulder months whilst also giving better connectivity to the Maltese travelling public."

"In economically depressed 2009 this strategy delivered (+129,677 passengers) +13% more travel industry sales in France on Air Malta, while the French air travel industry contracted by -16%. Impressive gains were also made in Germany where the market also shrank," stated Dr Friesen.

"This year (January – March) we have started on a good note with passenger traffic increasing by 5.2% over last year. We are working hard to maintain this pace and have launched several advertising campaigns in core markets. Our goal is to exceed the record breaking passenger traffic achieved in 2008", added Dr Friesen. Our highly successful website will be enhanced in the coming weeks to attract more inbound business. To boost spring traffic, we have launched early booking initiatives with tour operators, notably in Germany."

This summer Air Malta is operating direct scheduled flights to Amsterdam, Athens, Berlin, Birmingham, Bologna, Brussels, Budapest, Catania, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, Geneva, Genoa, Hamburg, Istanbul, Leipzig, London–Gatwick, London–Heathrow, Lyon, Manchester, Marseille, Milan, Moscow Domodedovo, Moscow Sheremetyevo, Munich, Naples, Palermo, Paris–Charles De Gaulle, Paris–Orly, Prague, Reggio Calabria, Rome, Sofia, Stuttgart, Toulouse, Tripoli, Tunis, Turin, Verona, Vienna, and Zurich. Furthermore Air Malta will be operating flights out of Catania to Munich, Frankfurt and Geneva, while serving Rome and Genova from Reggio Calabria airport.

Notwithstanding the increased fierce competition faced by low cost airlines, Air Malta is anticipating a capacity increase of more than 120,000 seats on key markets like Italy, France, Germany and the U.K.

As from the end of this month, Air Malta will be increasing its seat capacity on the Italian market by around 60,000 more seats. Besides the introduction of two new routes to Genova and Turin with two flights a week in peak on Tuesdays and Saturdays (Genova), and Mondays and Fridays (Turin), flights to Bologna, Verona, Naples and Reggio markets will be served with additional convenient flying time.

The capacity floated on the French market is increasing in the region of about 25,000 more seats on flights to Paris, Lyon, Marseille and Toulouse. The majority of this increase in seat capacity will be on flights operated to Paris-Charles de Gaulle airport with an increase of two weekly flights when compared to the Summer 2009 schedule, thus serving the Paris metropolitan area with an average of two flights a day from Malta to Paris-Charles de Gaulle and Paris-Orly.

As a result of increases of two additional flights per week to Munich and Duesseldorf, and an increase of additional seats on its flights to Stuttgart and Berlin Tegel, a total of over 20,000 more seats shall be offered on the German market compared to last year’s Air Malta summer flights. The Austrian market will have additional seat capacity, with the introduction of an additional flight to Vienna, bringing the total weekly flights to 6 when compared to 5 weekly flights in the last Summer 2009 schedule of operations.

Due to the withdrawal of British Airways flights to and from Malta, Air Malta has increased another weekly flight to London Gatwick, bringing its flights to a double-daily frequency, thereby representing an additional capacity of around 15,000 seats. New intra-European flights from Catania to Frankfurt and from Reggio to Paris-Orly have also been launched for summer 2010.

Air Malta offers its customers a full service treatment on all its flights to main city airports where it operates a new aircraft fleet, in-flight entertainment, complimentary refreshments and newspapers, 8 kilos of free hand luggage, as well as a poolable 20kgs free baggage allowance for economy class passengers and 30kgs for Club Class passengers. Air Malta is committed to offer value for money and superior service, in both its economy as well as business class cabins.

(www.maltamedia.com)

M.I.A. plc releases traffic results for March 2010

During the month of March 2010, M.I.A. plc registered a 12.3% increase in passenger movements when compared to March 2009. This results in an average increase of 8.9% for the first three months of 2010 when compared to same period last year.

The total passenger movements on scheduled and non-scheduled flights in March 2010 was of 206,543 (101,147 departing, 105,396 arriving) an increase of 22,559 passengers when compared to March 2009.

Both aircraft movements and cargo & mail figures registered increases of 8.1%and 22.7% respectively.

Passenger traffic for the main markets of U.K., Italy, Germany, France and Spain increased by 5.9%, 30.5%, 9.0%, 30.0% and 116.2% respectively.

The busiest day in March 2010 was the 30th with 11,422 passengers and 97 aircraft movements.

(www.maltairport.com)

Norwegian launches seasonal flts between Copenhagen and Malta

Norwegian Air Shuttle has launched this evening its 'summer' seasonal flights on schedule between Copenhagen-Kastrup (Denmark) and Malta Int'l Airport.

This first flight was operated with a Boeing B737-300, registration LN-KKH.

Norwegian AS will be operating a weekly flight between Copenhagen-Kastrup and Malta, on Saturdays, up to October 30th, 2010.

easyJet apologises for cancellation of Milan flight

Low cost airline easyJet apologised this evening after its flight from Milan-Malpensa to Malta had to be cancelled.

"The flight had to be cancelled for operational reasons, and passengers have been offered either a refund of the full fare or a change of booking on another easyJet flight," the airline said.

It did not give further details on the 'operational' reasons. Unofficial sources said the airline had a crew problem.

The flight was cancelled some 45 minutes before take off.

The Milan-Malpensa service was introduced just a few days ago.

(www.timesofmalta.com)

Bulgaria Air launches charter flts between Helsinki and Malta

Bulgaria Air has launched this morning charter flights (on schedule) between Helsinki-Vantaa (Finland) and Malta Int'l Airport.

This first flight, operated with an Airbus A320 (LZ-FBD), has landed at Malta Int'l Airport at 0818LT as LZB4971, and departed back (to Tallinn-Ulemiste in Estonia) at 0915LT as LZB4972

Bulgaria Air will be operating a weekly flight between Helsinki-Vantaa and Malta, on Thursdays, up to April 15th, 2010, and then a weekly flight, on Saturdays, between April 24th and June 26th, 2010.