Inaugural flight from Helsinki

Spanish Airline Hispania Inter-national yesterday evening inaugurated a weekly flight to Malta from Helsinki.

Hispania is planning to operate the service until October but the service may be extended into the winter. The service can carry up to 150 passengers every week.

Tourism Minister Francis Zammit Dimech and some of the airline's directors were at the airport to welcome the first flight.

Dr Zammit Dimech said that last year, 50 airlines operated to and from Malta, including 12 that were new to Malta. The airlines carried 1,150,769 tourists - an increase of 23,362 tourists or 2.1 per cent.

Italy's main low-fare airline, Meridiana, is to start operating to Malta on June 1 with two weekly flights to and from Bologna.