Air Malta check-in desks to close 45 minutes before departure

All Air Malta check-in desks will close 45 minutes before flight departure time from 1st June as the national airline steps up its campaign to ensure flights are on time.  "We are working hard to improve our service, and you can help us keep it all running smoothly," an airline statement said. 

The airline urged its passengers to check in their Air Malta flight by latest 45 minutes before departure, or better yet, to do so on line.  Air Malta's new campaign has been called 'On the DOT - Destination: on Time'.  (Source: timesofmalta.com, 30-Apr-2019)

Air Malta to operate twice weekly to/from Ibiza between 16-Aug and 10-Sep

Air Malta will start operating a twice weekly scheduled service every Tuesday and Friday to the Balearic island of Ibiza (Spain), well known for its lively nightlife.  The seasonal summer programme will commence on the 16th August till 10th September 2019.

Commenting on this new service Air Malta’s Chief Executive Capt. C. Chetcuti said, "Ibiza is a much sought after destination by the younger generation and is regarded as a mecca for entertainment, especially during the summer months.  Over the years we have operated a number of charter flights to the island for travel agents and operators and we think that the route is mature enough to test a seasonal scheduled operation.  This service is part of our growth strategy aimed to connect better the Maltese Islands".

Minister for Tourism K. Mizzi added, "Ibiza is a route we have been eyeing for a number of months after receiving a number of request from the local community, particularly related to the events scene.  We look forward to study this route further, with the possibility of including it in our summer schedule annually." (Source: www.facebook.com/maltaaviationoutlook, 25-Apr-2019)

Air Malta and Air Baltic expands codeshare network from April 2019

Air Malta and Air Baltic at the launch of summer 2019 season expanded codeshare partnership, covering additional routes via Malta, Riga (Latvia) and Talinn (Estonia).  Planned codeshare routes listed below went into effect since 2-Apr-19 or earlier.

Air Baltic operated by Air Malta 
  Malta – Berlin-Tegel
  Malta – Hamburg 
  Malta – Prague
  Malta – Zurich 

Air Malta operated by Air Baltic
  Riga – Berlin-Tegel
  Riga – Hamburg
  Riga – Prague 
  Riga – Rome
  Riga – Zurich 
  Tallinn – Berlin-Tegel 
  Tallinn – Brussels
  Tallinn – London-Gatwick 
  Tallinn – Vilnius

(Source: routesonline.com, 24-Apr-2019)

Air Malta's flight to Palermo returns to Malta IAP

An Air Malta Airbus A320-200 (9H-AEP), operating flight KM-622 from Malta IAP to Palermo (Sicily, Italy), had to return to Malta IAP this morning due to bad weather at destination.  The A320 landed safely at Malta IAP at 0657lt, 71-mins after departing. (22-Apr-2019)

SmartLynx Malta receives AOC licence

Latvian charter airline SmartLynx Airlines has secured an air operator certificate (AOC) from the Transport Malta's Civil Aviation Directorate for its new subsidiary SmartLynx Malta.  The newly established unit in Malta will initially operate with one Airbus A320, which has been registered as 9H-SLA.  The 20-year old Airbus jet was ferried to Malta at the end of last month.

Like its Latvia-based parent company, SmartLynx Malta is specialized on full-service ACMI (Aircraft-Crew-Maintenance-Insurance) operations.  In addition to the Latvia-based airline, SmartLynx established a subsidiary in Estonia, whereas SmartLynx Italia ceased operations in 2011.  (Source: ifn.news, 20-Apr-2019)

Air Malta A320 suffers bird strike on its approach to Lyon

Air Malta Airbus A320-200 (9H-AEQ), operating flight KM-454 from Malta IAP to Lyon-Saint Exupery (France), was involved in a bird strike event on its approach to Lyon's airport this afternoon.  The aircraft landed safely at 1609lt.

After being serviced by technical personnel in Lyon, in liaison with Air Malta's engineers, the aircraft was returned to flight ops.  The return flight KM-455 to Malta IAP reached destination with a delay of 2-hrs 45-mins.  (Source: Air Malta & flightradar24.com, 15-Apr-2019)

Air Malta to resume Warsaw service from June 2019

Air Malta in summer 2019 season plans to resume service to Poland, as the airline plans to offer Malta-Warsaw nonstop service.  From 1-Jun-19, the carrier will operate Saturday-only service on board Airbus A320 aircraft.

KM4428 MLA 0855 - 1140 WAW
KM4429 WAW 1230 - 1520 MLA

The airline last operated this route on regular basis until October 2015, as well as one-off service in August 2017.  (Source: routesonline.com, 9-Apr-2019)

Malta IAP hosts more than two million passengers in winter months

More than two million passengers passed through Malta Int’l Airport during the winter months; from Nov-18 until Mar-19.  This led the company to post growth of 5.9% in traffic over the same comparable stretch last year.

This growth in passenger numbers was observed in line with an 8.1% increase in aircraft movements and a 7.6% increase in seat capacity. Seat load factor for the season stood at 76.0%.

The airport’s enhanced winter flight schedule was an important factor in the attainment of these positive traffic results which, yet again, serve to highlight that the Maltese islands are becoming an increasingly popular destination in the off-peak months, in line with the tourism strategy to mitigate seasonality.

New developments and better frequencies on several routes, introduced by the winter schedule, led all of Malta IAP’s top five markets, with the exception of Germany (-2.9%), to experience growth.  While the U.K. and Italy registered modest growth rates of 0.3% and 3.3% respectively, at 14.7% and 63.1%, France and Spain registered more substantial increases.

Outside the top five drivers of traffic, other markets that performed exceptionally well included Slovakia, Portugal and Estonia.  The results achieved by these three markets can be attributed to the operation of the Bratislava, Porto and Lisbon, and Tallinn routes in the winter months for the first time.

Bringing winter to a close, March registered an increase of 1.3% in passenger movements.  This modest increase is mainly due to the fact that the Easter holiday effect occurred in March last year.  (Source: maltairport.com, 5-Apr-2019)

Ryanair launches nine new route from and to Malta IAP

In past days, Ryanair has added nine new routes to the Malta Int’l Airport's roster, aiming to not only serve Malta's largest markets, but to also tap into new destinations for holidaymakers looking to further explore Europe and beyond.

Four new routes will be serving Malta IAP's two largest markets, the U.K. and Italy, through direct connections between the airport and Exeter in England, Cardiff in Wales, and Perugia and Lamezia in central and southern Italy, respectively.

Ryanair will also be driving passenger traffic from newer markets towards the Maltese Islands, by introducing a direct route to Maastricht in the Netherlands.

Maltese holidaymakers looking to explore Europe further in the coming months will now have the opportunity to fly directly to popular summer destinations, including Thessaloniki in Greece, or escape to the quieter, greener lands of Cork in Ireland.

Other travellers aspiring to tick unmissable adventures off their bucket-lists this year can look forward to travelling directly to Oslo-Torp to admire Norway's mystical northern lights, or catching a direct flight to Amman Airport in Jordan to explore Petra, one of the Seven Wonders of the World.

Between April and October, Ryanair will be operating flights on eight of its new routes on a twice-weekly basis. Oslo-Torp, on the other hand, will be reachable from Malta IAP every Wednesday throughout the summer period.  (Source: maltairport.com & lovinmalta.com, 4-Apr-2019)

Construction starts on SR Technics' new maintenance facilities at Park-4

SR Technics will be expanding their capacity of services through the building of a new 30,000 square metre hangar which is expected to be completed by the first quarter of 2020.  The hangar will allow the company to cater for six narrow-body aircraft, with the focus initially being on handling aircraft from the Airbus A320 and Boeing 737 families.

Speaking at a groundbreaking ceremony at Park-4 in Luqa, where the hangar will be built, the company's general manager A. Magri thanked Malta Enterprise and Malta Industrial Parks and said that this expansion was part of the company's long term growth strategy.  The creation of this "centre of excellence" will offer higher quality service at a good rate and a shorter turnaround.  (Source: independent.com.mt, 2-Apr-2019)

Plane fault causes a delay of over nine hours

Travellers on an Air Malta flight from Vienna to Malta via Catania suffered a delay of over nine hours and arrived in Malta on Monday morning. The plane was due to arrive in Malta at midnight but arrived at 9.30am.

The delay developed after an aircraft suffered a fault in Malta before its outgoing flight.  It affected KM512/3 – Malta-Catania-Vienna-Catania-Malta and, to a lesser extent, KM626/7 Malta-Milan-Malta.

Air Malta said on Twitter that its operations centre had worked to minimise delays, but safety came first.  Flights were operating normally this morning.  (Source: timesofmalta.com, 1-Apr-2019)