Air Malta carried more than 12,200 pax last weekend

Air Malta carried more than 12,200 passengers last Saturday and Sunday, considered to be the busiest weekend of the year so far. In a statement, the national airline said it had carried 1,200 passengers (+11%) more than in the corresponding period last year for a total of 12,210 pax and registering a seat load factor of about 90%.

"For many of our guests, last weekend was the start of holidays and we are happy that they chose to travel on Air Malta. With over 80 flights running on-schedule, we had a very busy operation," said P. Sies, the airline" chief commercial officer. He said Air Malta was the airline that offered "the most interesting schedule with excellent timings” to travel to the best airports in Europe." (Source: timesofmalta.com, 26-Aug-2017)

USAF KC-135 for 2017 Malta Int'l Airshow

Another welcomed addition to our ever growing static display park is the United States Air Force (USAF) KC-135 Stratotanker, a favorite with many aviation enthusiasts.

Based on the Boeing 707 commercial airliner, the KC-135 is USAF main aerial refueling tanker. It has been refueled other military aircraft in the air since its entry into service 60 years ago, in 1957. This makes the presence of the legendary KC-135 at our airshow even more significant. 

The participating aircraft is one which is based in Europe, namely at RAF Mildenhall, in the U.K. The Malta Aviation Society is extremely grateful to welcoming back the USAF at the Malta International Airshow 2017. (Source: maltairshow.com, 25-Aug-2017)

Two French AF Alpha Jets for 2017 Malta Int' Airshow

We are pleased to announce a further addition to the flying and static display program, with the confirmation of two French Air Force Dassault/Dornier Alpha Jet. 

The Alpha Jet was originally designed and co-produced by Dassault in France and Dornier in Germany, as a light attack aircraft, although it was primarily and extensively used, as an advanced/lead in, jet trainer aircraft, produced in large numbers by both the French and the German AF.

The aircraft has already participated in our airshow in past editions, both in the static display and also in our flying programs. Moreover, the aircraft is also used for the French AF's National Display Team – the Patrouille de France, who have also participated in our past editions, namely in the very first Malta airshow, back in 1993.

The Malta Aviation Society organizers of the Malta International Airshow would like to publicly thank the French AF for confirming their participation once again in Malta. (Source: maltairshow.com, 25-Aug-2017)

Maleth-Aero to add maiden Embraer aircraft to its fleet

Maleth-Aero has confirmed it will shortly be introducing its maiden Embraer regional jet equipment in the form of four ERJ-145s. The Malta-based ACMI/charter specialist said in a statement the first aircraft of the type, 9H-REY (c/n. 145036), would be delivered shortly ahead of its deployment into service in September.

"We are very pleased to be introducing this product to our fleet and expect 9H-REY to be on the ramp next month. Thereafter we expect to take up the remaining units prior to the year end," M. O'Brien, Chief Executive Officer of Maleth-Aero, commented. (Source: ch-aviation.com, 24-Aug-2017)

RCAF to participate in 2017 Malta Int'l Airshow with a CF-188

It is with great pleasure that we announce the participation of a CF-188 Hornet from the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF). The Hornet wll increase the variety of static display aircraft at the 25th edition of the Malta International Airshow.

The supersonic CF-188 Hornet can engage both ground and aerial targets. Its twin engines generate enough thrust to lift 24 full-size pick-up trucks off the ground. As the RCAF's frontline multi-role fighter, the modernized CF-188 is used primarily for air defence, air superiority and tactical support.

After successful Canadian participation in the 1994,1998 and 2015 editions this year will see the debut of a CF-188 Hornet on our shores, a great edition to the airshow.

The Malta Aviation Society organisers of the Malta International Airshow would like to publicly thank the Royal Canadian Air Force for confirming their participation once again in Malta. (Source: maltairshow.com, 18-Aug-2017)

Air Malta to restart Malta-Manchester route next year

Air Malta will be restarting flights to Manchester on a weekly basis as of May 2018 after the service was axed earlier this year. The airline announced last December that the popular route would be scrapped from May 2017 to focus on other, more profitable services.

The decision was met with widespread criticism, but Air Malta said it had been projected to lose up to €2 million in variable costs by operating the route with four flights per week this summer, and that the “expensive” route should have been axed “many years ago”.

But industry sources told this newspaper Air Malta had now secured a commitment, as of May next year, for a significant portion of seats to be taken up by tour operators on the Manchester route, making the route viable. (Source: timesofmalta.com, 18-Aug-2017)

GdiF to send an AW-139 to 2017 Malta Int'l Airshow

The Italian's Guardia di Finanza (GdiF) aviation unit has confirmed it's participation in the 25th Edition of the Malta International Airshow with a static display of a Leonardo (AgustaWestland) AW-139 helicopter.

The GdiF is an Italian law enforcement agency under the authority of the Minister of Economy and Finance and part of the Italian armed forces. The GdiF is essentially responsible for dealing with financial crime and smuggling. It maintains more than 100 aircraft to serve in its mission of patrolling Italy's territorial waters.

In the rotary wing of the GdiF, the Leonardo AW-139 is tasked with maritime patrol, search, exploration, medical evacuation flights and further logistical transport. Its missions take place around the Italian territory on land and even on sea. (Source: maltairshow.com, 18-Aug-2017)

Saudi Hawks display team for 2017 Malta Int'l Airshow

The Malta Aviation Society proudly announces that the Saudi Hawks, from the Royal Saudi Air Force, will be participating in the 25th edition of the Malta International Airshow being held between the 23rd and the 24th of September 2017.

The Saudi Hawks display team will be showing off their skills during the aerial display of the Airshow, while the general public will have the unique opportunity to meet the pilots at the Airshow Grounds in Luqa. This will be the first time that this team will be participating in the local Airshow.

Painted in an eye catching green and white livery inspired by the Saudi national flag, the team was established in 1998 and is based at King Faisal Air Base in Tabuk city.  The team flies with specially modified BAE Hawk Mk65 aircraft fitted with smoke generators.

During the show, the team will show off its most iconic manoeuvre known as The Logo, for which they hold the Guinness World Record for the largest sky drawing for their logo. During this complex manoeuvre, all aircraft will paint the nations national emblem in the sky, a palm tree with crossed swords representing prosperity and justice.

Following The Turkish Stars and the Swiss PC-7 Team, The Saudi Hawks are the third aerobatic team to be confirmed for the 25th edition of Malta International Airshow which will feature over 40 different aircraft participating in the static and flying display. The participation list so far features seven countries. (Source: maltairshow.com, 11-Aug-2017)

Aegean to increase the Athens-Malta service to five times weekly as from June 2018

Aegean Airlines in recent schedule update adjusted planned European service increase in summer 2018, based on comparison of peak summer season in 2018 vs 2017. The Athens-Malta-Athens service will increase from the current four to five flights per week as from Jun. 27th, 2018. All flights will be operated with Dash 8-Q400s, instead of the current Dash 8s/A320s combination. (Source: routesonline.com, 8-Aug-2017)

M.I.A. plc releases traffic results for July 2017

Summer is in full swing at Malta International Airport, with the number of travellers passing through the terminal in July increasing by more than 90,000 passenger movements. This translates into an upturn of 15.5% over the same month last year. July's 675,111 passenger movements exceeded the airport's previous passenger traffic record, held by August 2016, by 12%.

As noted also in previous months, July's thriving numbers resulted from an increase in aircraft movements. These grew by 13.6% to reach an all-time record of 4,562 take-offs and landings by the end of July. In parallel with this growth, seat capacity registered an increase of 16.5%. Despite a slight drop of 1.3%, last month's seat load factor still stood at a healthy 86.7%.

The top five drivers of traffic to Malta IAP remained unchanged from June, with the United Kingdom topping the list followed by Italy, Germany, France, and Spain. These markets recorded varying levels of growth, and cumulatively were responsible for a leap of around 53,000 passenger movements when compared to July 2016.

Passenger numbers from these markets flourished as a result of enhanced capacity and flight frequencies on routes such as Glasgow, Bari, Frankfurt, Lyon, and Madrid, as well as the launch of new routes including Bordeaux and Valencia.

July's traffic brought the total number of travellers welcomed at Malta IAP in the first seven months of the year up to around 3.3 million. Towards the end of the month, the airport published its mid-yearly forecast, whereby it announced that it is expecting circa 5.8 million passengers to go through the terminal by the end of the year. (Source: maltairport.com, 8-Aug-2017)

Air Malta A320 grounded at Paris-Orly

An Air Malta aircraft (A320, 9H-AEI) is stranded in Paris, which is expected to delay a number of flights today. Air Malta confirmed that passengers scheduled to travel on the Orly flight were given complimentary accommodation for the night and refreshments.

The airline said that the aircraft meant to operate flight KM467 from Paris-Orly to Malta on Friday was grounded for technical reasons and that a group of Air Malta engineers is travelling to Paris to inspect and fix the aircraft.

A number of flights today, including KM116/7 to/from London-Gatwick and KM102/3 to/from London-Heathrow, will be delayed. Affected passengers today will be offered assistance that includes snacks, depending on the extent of the delay. They will be given compensation in line with statutory requirements.

The airline apologised for any inconvenience caused by circumstances beyond
its control. (Source: timesofmalta.com, 5-Aug-2017)

Four RAF Hawk trainers for 2015 Malta Int'l Airshow

The U.K.'s Royal Air Force (RAF) committed further support for the 25th edition of the Malta International Airshow. This time four further aircraft will be added to the static display line-up.

For the first time ever during the event, we will be able to see closely RAF Hawk T.2 aircraft coming from IV(R) Squadron from RAF Valley, while 100 Squadron at RAF Leeming will support the event with two Hawk T.1s.

The Hawk T.1 is used primarily in the advanced flying-training role, it is equipped to an operational standard and is capable of undertaking a war role.

The Hawk T2 is a fully aerobatic, low wing, transonic, two-seat trainer with mission avionics that are representative of front-line aircraft. It is used to train pilots for Tornado GR4, Typhoon and F-35 Lightning II.

The Malta Aviation Society organisers of the Malta International Airshow are delighted for the further commitment by the Royal Air Force. (Source: maltairshow.com, 4-Aug-2017)

Air Malta carriers record 12,000 passengers in two days

Over 12,000 passengers traveled on Air Malta aircraft last weekend in what the airline described as a record 48 hours performance for recent years. On Saturday and Sunday the airline operated over 80 flights achieving an average seat load factor of 93%.

P. Sies, Chief Commercial Officer at Air Malta commented; "This was a great achievement by all our staff and especially those in commercial and operations. It was our best weekend over the last two years surpassing even mid-August figures which are usually the airline’s best performing period. 

"This performance was even more significant particularly when we note that it surpassed our performance two years ago when we operated with two more aircraft and there is more competition from other airlines on our more popular routes.

"Last weekend some of our flights including those to/from Switzerland and Russia ran with over 95% load factors. This is good news for the airline and we believe we can surpass this figure in the coming weekends." (Source: timesofmalta.com, 2-Aug-2017)

easyjet to add weekly flight on Manchester-Malta route

easyjet will be adding a weekly flight to its route between Manchester (U.K.) and Malta as of this coming winter. Flights will operate four times a week in winter and daily in summer as of Nov. 7th, the airline said.

Tourism Minister K. Mizzi said the additional flight confirmed the government's commitment to increase the frequency of existing flight destinations. Malta IAP CEO A. Borg said this development was in line with the airport's endeavours to secure better capacity and connectivity in winter. (Source: timesofmalta.com, 1-Aug-2017)