Two German naval mine countermeasure vessels, FGS Passau (M 1096) - a Kulmbach Class (Type MJ333) Minehunter - and FGS Ensdorf (M 1094) - an Ensdorf Class (Type 352) MCM Drone Control Vessel - have sailed in Valletta Port (Grand Harbour) this morning around 0915/0930 on a two-day visit.
The two MCMVs are presently berthing portside alongside at Pinto-3 Wharf and are expected to sail from Malta tomorrow, October 1st, at 0700LT.
A new hangar was inaugurated at the Malta Aviation Museum today in a ceremony which saw two vintage aircraft - a Tiger Moth biplane and a DC-3 Dakota, perform a low flypast over the former airfield of Ta'Qali, where the museum is located. This evening's ceremony was presided by President G. Abela. The new hangar, which is 54m deep, cost some €345,000 to build, with 80% of the funds coming from the European Regional Development Fund. The new hangar, built opposite the Air Battle of Malta hangar, is the new home for a DC-3 Dakota which is undergoing restoration, a Bell 47G helicopter, the first aircraft of the AFM, a Birdog, which was the AFM's first fixed wing aircraft, two jet fighters from the 1950s - a British Meteor and an Italian Fiat G91, the front section of a Lightning, one of the earliest supersonic fighters, and the cockpit section of a BAC 1-11 jetliner. The Tiger Moth, restored to flying condition by the museum last year, will also be moved there. Arrangements are being made for the 'Moth' to be able to use part of the remaining Ta' Qali runway to be able to land and take off.
Air Malta will today start charging €10 for online bookings, while it has increased its service charge for those buying their tickets through a call centre or sales outlet by another €10.
The airline said charges per ticket will now be €10 when booking online through her website, when there was previously no charge, and €15 when booking through a call centre and its sales outlets (from the previous €5).
This was the first time the service fees had changed since 2008, the airline said. It explained that these revised rates reflected the new distribution channel strategy being adopted, in line with current airline business models.
Air Malta also announced that as from today, customers who book Saver and Special Offer fares online will be offered the possibility to pre-select seats at a nominal fee of €10 per seat. Customers who book Flexi and Club fares will continue to be offered this service for free. (Source: timesofmalta.com)
A Libyan Air Force Mirage F1 fighter-jet (serial 502) had its all-green roundel replaced by the new Libyan colours this morning amid applause at Malta International Airport, where the jet is on static display as part of the 19th Malta International Airshow. The poignant ceremony was carried out by Libyan Air Force Brigadier General M. Rajab amid applause, victory signs and chants of 'Allah Hu Akbar'. The Libyan ambassador was also present. The Mirage was one of a pair which were flown to Malta in February when their pilots refused Gaddafi government orders to bomb civilians near Benghazi. The pilots returned to Libya last week and received a heroes' welcome. The jets cannot be returned to Libya yet, because of UN sanctions. (Source: timesofmalta.com / Photo: Stephen J. Borg)
The Armed Forces of Malta's new B200 KingAir (AS1126) maritime patrol aircraft made an precautionary landing after its flying display during the Malta International Airshow this afternoon after smoke was noticed in the cabin. Informed sources said the smoke is thought to have been caused by a fault in the cooling system of the FLIR (forward infra-red system). A fire engine was seen near the aircraft after it landed but there was no further incident. (Source: timesofmalta.com)
A Royal Air Force Tornado GR.4 (ZG705/118) was forced to divert to Malta IAP this evening after the crew reported a technical problem (engine). The British fighter-bomber landed safely on RWY31 around 2100LT after the airport's emergency services were deployed along the active runway. Fire engines were promptly to interven to cool the aircraft's brakes due to overheating on landing (Photo: Brian Pace).
Two Royal Netherlands naval vessel HNLMS Vlaardingen (M 863) and HNLMS Haarlem (M 853) - both Alkmaar class (Type Tripartite) mine countermeasures vessels - have sailed into Valletta Port (Grand Harbour) this morning, at 0815LT and 1015LT respectively, on a courtesy visit
This is HNLMS Vlaardingen's first visit in the Grand Harbour this year, while for HNLMS Haarlem this is her third visit this year (her first two visits were from 17th to 24th June and from 26th August to 1st September respectively).
The two Dutch vessels are presently berthing alongside each other at Wine Wharf and they're expected to sail from Malta on Saturday, 24th September (HNLMS Haarlem) and Sunday, September 25th (HNLMS Vlaardingen).
The Russian Federation naval vessel RFS Kildin - a converted Moma class (Project 861M) intelligence ship - has sailed in Valletta Port (Grand Harbour) this morning on a four-day visit.
This is RFS Kildin's third visit in the Grand Harbour this year. Her first two visits were from 11th to 15th August and 1st to 3rd September respectively. RFS Kildin is presently berthing portside alongside at Pinto-3 Wharf and she's expected to sail from Malta this Friday, September 23rd.
Air Malta has been granted traffic rights to operate flights to Benghazi in addition to the rights it already had to operate flights to Tripoli, but it does not yet know when its flights to Libya will resume. The airline said that it now has confirmed flight slots for a daily flight to Tripoli and a twice-weekly flight to Benghazi. It also announced that its Tripoli office and its general sales agent in Benghazi will resume operations as from tomorrow. It stressed that the issuance of visas from Benghazi was critically important for the route to Libya’s second city to be fisible. It is now awaiting operational clearance and the lifting of no-fly zone restrictions to resume operations. (Source: di-ve.com)
An Air Malta’s flight from Paris had to abort landing in Malta this evening because a business jet was still on the runway. The flight, KM479 (operated by Airbus A320, registration 9H-AEF), was instructed to perform a go-around procedure by an air traffic controller as a safety measure because the Gainjet aircraft (GNJ20) had to abort its take-off. The flight landed only 11 minutes behind schedule, at 1946LT instead of at 1935LT (Source: timesofmalta.com / flightradar24.com)
The French naval vessel FS Cassard (D 614) - a Cassard class destroyer - has sailed into Valletta Port (Grand Harbour) this morning around 0915LT on a courtesy visit.This is FS Cassard's second visit in the Grand Harbour this year. Her first visit was from 29th January to 2nd Febuary.FS Cassard is presently berthing portside alongside at Magazine Wharf and she's scheduled to sail from Malta on Tuesday, September 20th, at 0900LT.
The French naval vessel FS Marne (A 630) - a Durance class replenishment tanker - has sailed in Valletta Port (Grand Harbour) this morning around 0950LT on a four-day visit.
FS Var is currently berthing portside alongside at Pinto-4/5 Wharf and she's scheduled to to sail from Malta this Wednesday, September 14th, at 0900LT.
An Air Malta Airbus A319 (9H-AEH) performing flight KM560 from Malta (Malta) to Moscow-Domodedovo (Russia), was enroute at FL370 about 40nm eastnortheast of Sofia (Bulgaria) when the crew decided to return to Malta due to problems with one of the hydraulic systems. The aircraft landed safely back on Malta's runway 13 about 100 minutes later. (Source: avherald.com)
The French naval vessel FS Lafayette (F 710) - a Lafayette classsecond-line multi-mission stealth frigate - has sailed in Valletta Port (Grand Harbour) this morning around 0630LT on a courtesy visit.
FS Lafayette is currently berthing starboard alongside at Pinto-1 Wharf (later to shift to Deep Water Quay) and she's scheduled to sail from Malta on Monday, September 12th, at 0900LT.
A Saudi Arabian Airlines Boeing 747-400 (TF-AMX), enroute to Algiers (Algeria) with 474 people on board, was forced to divert to Malta IAP this evening due to a medical emergency aboard. Two of the passengers were helped by a doctor on the aircraft while another was taken by ambulance to Mater Dei Hospital. The aircraft departed again for Algiers after a brief tech-stop. (Photo: timesofmalta.com)
The Royal naval vessel HMS Liverpool (D 92) - a Sheffield Class (Type-42 Batch II) Frigate - has sailed into Valletta Port (Grand Harbour) this morning around 0710LT on a courtesy visit.
This is HMS Liverpool's second visit in the Grand Harbour this year. Her first visit was from 5th to 11th June.
HMS Liverpool is currently berthing portside alongside at Pinto-3 Wharf, and she's scheduled to sail from Malta on Monday, September 12th, at 1000LT.
Two French Air Force Mirage 2000s (343/116-AH & 671/133-XK) were forced to divert to Malta IAP early this morning after the crew of Mirage 2000N '671/133-XK' reported a damaged refueling probe and could not refuel in the air. The accompanying Mirage 2000D '343/116-AH' departed again after a brief tech-stop at Malta IAP. The stranded Mirage 2000N will depart as soon as it is repaired.
Three NATO jets, participating in Operation Unified Protector over Libya, were forced to divert to Malta IAP during the day after they've reported to be very low on fuel and requested to land in order to refuel. The three NATO jets were two French Air Force Mirages (a Mirage F.1CR '167/112NE' and a Mirage 200D '614/133-JU') and a single Royal Air Force Typhoon FGR.4 (ZJ923/DM). The three jets departed again after a brief tech-stop.
Passenger movements at Malta IAP in August totalled 427,575, down by just 349 from last year's August record, M.I.A. said today. During the same month, seat capacity reached 499,086, a decrease of 7%, which is equivalent to 37,295 seats.In August, aircraft movements were down by 9.5% over the corresponding period last year, whilst the average seat load factor increased by 5.9% to reach 85.7% - up from the 79.8% registered in August 2010. The maximum take-off weight was 8.8% less than that registered in August last year, whilst cargo and mail was 10% lower than that recorded during the same month in 2010.Arrivals from M.I.A.'s top source market, the U.K., registered an increase of 1% during August with Germany experiencing an increase of 22.8% and Spain growing at a slower rate of 2.7%. Arrivals from Italy and France registered a decrease of 12.3% and 6.7% respectively.January – August 2011: The results for the first eight months of the year, in terms of passenger movements, show an increase of 8.5% when compared to the same period last year, totalling 2,399,413 passenger movements with relatively the same amount of aircraft movements. The average seat load factor improved by 4.2% reaching 75% for the period January to August 2011. (Source: timesofmalta.com)
A new hangar was inaugurated at the Malta Aviation Museum today in a ceremony which saw two vintage aircraft - a Tiger Moth biplane and a DC-3 Dakota, perform a low flypast over the former airfield of Ta'Qali, where the museum is located. This evening's ceremony was presided by President G. Abela. The new hangar, which is 54m deep, cost some €345,000 to build, with 80% of the funds coming from the European Regional Development Fund. 
Air Malta will today start charging €10 for online bookings, while it has increased its service charge for those buying their tickets through a call centre or sales outlet by another €10.
A Libyan Air Force Mirage F1 fighter-jet (serial 502) had its all-green roundel replaced by the new Libyan colours this morning amid applause at Malta International Airport, where the jet is on static display as part of the 19th Malta International Airshow. The poignant ceremony was carried out by Libyan Air Force Brigadier General M. Rajab amid applause, victory signs and chants of 'Allah Hu Akbar'. The Libyan ambassador was also present. 
The Armed Forces of Malta's new B200 KingAir (AS1126) maritime patrol aircraft made an precautionary landing after its flying display during the Malta International Airshow this afternoon after smoke was noticed in the cabin. Informed sources said the smoke is thought to have been caused by a fault in the cooling system of the FLIR (forward infra-red system). A fire engine was seen near the aircraft after it landed but there was no further incident. (Source: timesofmalta.com)
A Royal Air Force Tornado GR.4 (ZG705/118) was forced to divert to Malta IAP this evening after the crew reported a technical problem (engine). The British fighter-bomber landed safely on RWY31 around 2100LT after the airport's emergency services were deployed along the active runway. Fire engines were promptly to interven to cool the aircraft's brakes due to overheating on landing (Photo: Brian Pace).
The Russian Federation naval vessel RFS Kildin - a converted Moma class (Project 861M) intelligence ship - has sailed in Valletta Port (Grand Harbour) this morning on a four-day visit.
Air Malta has been granted traffic rights to operate flights to Benghazi in addition to the rights it already had to operate flights to Tripoli, but it does not yet know when its flights to Libya will resume. The airline said that it now has confirmed flight slots for a daily flight to Tripoli and a twice-weekly flight to Benghazi. It also announced that its Tripoli office and its general sales agent in Benghazi will resume operations as from tomorrow. It stressed that the issuance of visas from Benghazi was critically important for the route to Libya’s second city to be fisible. It is now awaiting operational clearance and the lifting of no-fly zone restrictions to resume operations. (Source: di-ve.com)
An Air Malta’s flight from Paris had to abort landing in Malta this evening because a business jet was still on the runway. The flight, KM479 (operated by Airbus A320, registration 9H-AEF), was instructed to perform a go-around procedure by an air traffic controller as a safety measure because the Gainjet aircraft (GNJ20) had to abort its take-off. The flight landed only 11 minutes behind schedule, at 1946LT instead of at 1935LT (Source: timesofmalta.com / flightradar24.com)
The French naval vessel FS Cassard (D 614) - a Cassard class destroyer - has sailed into Valletta Port (Grand Harbour) this morning around 0915LT on a courtesy visit.
An Air Malta Airbus A319 (9H-AEH) performing flight KM560 from Malta (Malta) to Moscow-Domodedovo (Russia), was enroute at FL370 about 40nm eastnortheast of Sofia (Bulgaria) when the crew decided to return to Malta due to problems with one of the hydraulic systems. The aircraft landed safely back on Malta's runway 13 about 100 minutes later. (Source: avherald.com)
A Saudi Arabian Airlines Boeing 747-400 (TF-AMX), enroute to Algiers (Algeria) with 474 people on board, was forced to divert to Malta IAP this evening due to a medical emergency aboard. Two of the passengers were helped by a doctor on the aircraft while another was taken by ambulance to Mater Dei Hospital. The aircraft departed again for Algiers after a brief tech-stop. (Photo: timesofmalta.com)
The Royal naval vessel HMS Liverpool (D 92) - a Sheffield Class (Type-42 Batch II) Frigate - has sailed into Valletta Port (Grand Harbour) this morning around 0710LT on a courtesy visit.
Two French Air Force Mirage 2000s (343/116-AH & 671/133-XK) were forced to divert to Malta IAP early this morning after the crew of Mirage 2000N '671/133-XK' reported a damaged refueling probe and could not refuel in the air. The accompanying Mirage 2000D '343/116-AH' departed again after a brief tech-stop at Malta IAP. The stranded Mirage 2000N will depart as soon as it is repaired.
Three NATO jets, participating in Operation Unified Protector over Libya, were forced to divert to Malta IAP during the day after they've reported to be very low on fuel and requested to land in order to refuel. The three NATO jets were two French Air Force Mirages (a Mirage F.1CR '167/112NE' and a Mirage 200D '614/133-JU') and a single Royal Air Force Typhoon FGR.4 (ZJ923/DM). The three jets departed again after a brief tech-stop.
Passenger movements at Malta IAP in August totalled 427,575, down by just 349 from last year's August record, M.I.A. said today. During the same month, seat capacity reached 499,086, a decrease of 7%, which is equivalent to 37,295 seats.
