Air Malta is the national airline of Malta, serving 36 destinations in Europe and North Africa. The airline is based at Malta International Airport (MLA), at Luqa.
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| Founded | 1973 | ||||||
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| Hubs | Malta International Airport | ||||||
| Frequent-flyer program | Flypass, KMiles | ||||||
| Fleet size | 13 | ||||||
| Destinations | 36 | ||||||
| Parent company | Air Malta Plc. | ||||||
| Headquarters | Luqa, Malta | ||||||
| Key people | Lawrence Zammit (Chairman) | ||||||
| Website | http://www.airmalta.com | ||||||
History
For many years the Maltese were used to travelling by sea or with is foreign (dominantly British) airlines but when Malta obtained its independence the new government decided to create a new national means of transport. The airline was established on March 21, 1973, when it was created by a resolution of the Malta House of Representatives, set up as a limited liability company and granted a certificate of rights to operate international services from Malta.
Air Malta began service on April 1, 1974, with two wet leased Boeing 720s that initially served Rome, Tripoli, London, Manchester, Frankfurt and Paris from Malta's airport.
In 1982, Air Malta signed a purchase contract for 3 new Boeing 737s which were delivered early in 1983. In 1986 Air Malta ordered two new 737s, and in 1987 ordered its first Airbus A320. They then sold the two 720s on their fleet. In 1989, Air Malta exercised an option for one more A320, and in 1992, two more 737s were ordered. That year 4 Avro RJ 70's were ordered, to be put on routes Malta to Catania and Palermo and to new destinations such as Tunis and Monastir.
After the opening of the new Malta International Airport in 1992, Air Malta created CargoSystems, that includes the air transportation of cargo on Air Malta planes. In 1994 Air Malta inaugurated a cargo center at the airport. The airline employs 1763 staff. It is owned by the Maltese government (98%) and private investors (2%). Air Malta also has a 25% shareholding in Medavia. On June 9th 1997, Air Malta flight KM 830 was hijacked.
In July 2002 Air Malta announced that its new fleet of aircraft would be from the European aeroplane manufacturers Airbus. The new fleet compromises of A319s and A320s and deliveries have already begun. The last plane will be delivered in 2007.In 2004 Air Malta joined the Low-cost sector and this has proven to be a success.
Air Malta has concluded over 191 interline ticketing agreements with other IATA airlines.
Destinations
Air Malta flies to the following destinations (as of January 2006):
- Austria
- Belgium
- Bulgaria
- France
- Germany
- Greece
- Ireland
- Italy
- Malta
- Netherlands
- Norway
- Russian Federation
- Sweden
- Switzerland
- Turkey
- United Kingdom
In February 2005 Air Malta announced an increase in scheduled destinations to the UK and France, to Nantes, Newcastle and Toulouse.
Notable flight events
Air Malta flight KM830 was hijacked in June 1997, by two Turks.
Fleet
The Air Malta fleet consists of the following aircraft (at April 2006):
- 5 Airbus A319-100 9H-AEG (Mdina), 9H-AEH (Floriana), 9H-AEJ (San Pawl il-Baħar), 9H-AEL (Marsaxlokk), 9H-AEM (Birgu)
- 5 Airbus A320-200 9H-AEF (Valletta), 9H-AEI (Rabat - Citta Vittoria), 9H-AEK (San Ġiljan), 9H-AEN (Bormla), 9H-AER (NOT NAMED)
- 3 Boeing 737-300 9H-ABT (Ħamrun), 9H-ADH (NOT NAMED), 9H-ADI (NOT NAMED)