U.K. Border Force HMC Protector recalls at Valletta Port

The United Kingdom's Border Force cutter HMC Protector sailed into Valletta Port (the Grand Harbour) this morning on a courtesy visit.  This is her fourth visit in Valletta Port this year.  The British cutter is presently berthing alongside at Coal wharf, and she's expected to sail from Valletta Port in the coming days.  (18-Jun-2018)

Air Malta's 1st A320 NEO lands at Malta IAP

Air Malta's first Airbus A320-200 NEO (9H-NEO), on lease from lessor Avolon, has landed for the first time at Malta IAP this afternoon at 1220lt (as KM5808).  The aircraft was ferried by Air Malta crew from Shannon, Ireland, where Air Malta'a corporate livery, with the addition of Nickelodeon's cartoon characters to promote a Nickelodeon's Treasury Hunt in Malta in Apr-19, was being applied by International Aerospace Coatings.

Wizz Air launches new service Vienna-Malta

Wizz Air has this morning launched direct flights between Vienna (Austria) and Malta IAP.  The first scheduled flight, operated with Airbus A320-200 (HA-LWM), landed at Malta IAP at 0808lt (W6-2819).  The aircraft departed after turnaround at 0908lt (W6-2820).  Wizz Air will be operating this new service three times weekly, on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.  (14-Jun-2018)

U.K. Royal Navy HMS Echo recalls at Valletta Port

The U.K. Royal Navy Echo-class survey vessel HMS Echo (H 87) has sailed into Valletta Port (the Grand Harbour) this morning on a courtesy visit.  This is her third visit in Valletta Port this year.  The British survey is presently berthing alongside at Somerset wharf (in French creek) and she's is expected to sail from Valletta Port in the coming days.  (12-Jun-2018)

Air Malta aircraft hit by contractor’s catering truck

An Air Malta aircraft was this afternoon hit by a contractor's catering ground equipment vehicle at Malta IAP, the airline reports.

The aircraft is currently being inspected by the airline's engineers to determine the extent of the damage with a view to return the aircraft to normal operations as soon as possible.  This, the airline said, can have an impact on some flights. 

The airline said it gives utmost importance to the safety and well-being of its clients and crew and is doing its utmost to operate the flights with minimal disruptions, and apologises for any inconvenience caused by circumstances beyond its control. (Source: independent.com.mt, 8-Jun-2018)

M.I.A plc releases traffic results for May18

May traffic through Malta Int'l Airport experienced a 17.3% spike, going on to surpass 600,000 passenger movements for the first time.  A total of 643,089 passengers were welcomed by the airport team during the month.  The busiest day was May 6th, with 25,112 passenger movements.  

The top market was the U.K with 169,781 passengers and the most popular airport was London-Gatwick with 39,742 passengers.  Aircraft movements at Malta IAP totaled 4,674 take-offs and landings.

Last month's growth in passenger numbers was driven by a 16.6% increase in aircraft movements and a 17% increase in seat capacity.  Despite this strong increase in seats available on flights to and from Malta IAP, at 80.6% the seat load factor (SLF) registered an increase of 0.1%.

The top contributors to May traffic were the U.K. (+21.3%), Italy (+15.3%), Germany (11.3%), France (+19.7%), and Spain (+59.8%). (Source: maltairport.com, 6-Jun-2018)

Air Malta is world's 9th-best airline according to AirHelp

Air Malta has been voted the ninth top airline worldwide by AirHelp in its Airline Worldwide Rankings for 2018.

AirHelp score compares each airline with three criteria to see how they perform against their competition. Statistics are provided on the quality of amenities, on-time arrivals, and how well the airlines resolve flight delay compensation claims.

Air Malta scored 8.6 for on time performance, 6.5 for quality of service and a 9.1 for claim processing, bringing its total to 8.09.

Top of the list was Qatar Airways, with an overall score of 9.08, followed by Lufthansa (8.57) and Etihad Airways (8.43).  The other airlines in the top 10 are Singapore Airlines (8.33), South African Airways (8.31), Austrian Airlines AG dba Austrian (8.29), Aegean Airlines (8.19), Qantas (8.12) and Virgin Atlantic (8.04). (Source: timesofmalta.com, 6-Jun-2018)

Air Malta flight to Cagliari turns back because of a technical hitch

An Air Malta Airbus A320-200 (9H-AEO), operating flight KM-186 from Malta IAP to Cagliari (Italy) this morning, had to return back after 15-mins for technical reasons.  

An Air Malta spokesman said that the crew reported an issue with the aircraft's weather radar.  

After the necessary repairs were carried out on the ground, the aircraft departed again as KM-186 to Cagliari reaching destination with a delay of 2-hrs 45-mins. (6-Jun-2018)