Another low-cost carrier flies to Malta

Spanish low-cost airline Clickair started direct flights from Barcelona to Malta yesterday, amid acclaim for the Malta Tourism Authority's strong promotion campaign in the Spanish city.

Clickair will be operating twice weekly to Malta until October with a capacity of 15,000 passengers both ways, 80 per cent of them tourists, Tourism Minister Francis Zammit Dimech told a news conference.

The addition of another low-cost airline to the network of airlines operating to Malta was good news for the tourism industry, the minister told Maltese and Spanish reporters.

Launched just a year ago, in May 2006, Barcelona-based Clickair is already turning into a success story. It forecasts the development of more than 70 routes in 55 Spanish and European cities with a fleet of 30 aircraft until 2008.

If the airline industry stays on course with its current rate of development, it will turn Clickair into the second largest Spanish airline in terms of passenger volume and place it among the four biggest low-cost carriers in Europe. Prices on board Clickair, which is partly-owned by Iberia, Spain's national airline, start from €30 one way.

Airline chief executive Alexander Cruz made it clear it was Clickair's intention to service the Malta-Barcelona link for as long as possible. From the outset, the service looks encouraging - from the recent new destinations introduced, Malta has proven to be the most popular.

He said the Malta Tourism Authority has managed to create a "big bang" in publicity in Barcelona, which will go a long way towards ensuring the route's success.

Asked by The Times, Mr Cruz said he sees no reason why Clickair and Ryanair couldn't live happily side by side. Europe's largest low-cost airline plans to start a Malta-Girona route in October.

"More competition will mean we'll stay on our toes," he said, adding that Girona was 100 kilometres away from Barcelona, and the Spanish airline provides more comfortable seating. Furthermore, Clickair plans to eliminate the check-in process and will introduce assigned seating. While some travellers will simply opt for bargains, many others are also seeking convenience in addition to price, Mr Cruz said.

Dr Zammit Dimech expressed hope that the Barcelona route would prove profitable, opening up further services to the Iberian peninsula.

He took note of the fact that low-cost carriers are carrying 44 per cent of all outbound traffic from the UK and 26 per cent of all outbound travel from Germany.

In the last year, four low-cost carriers started operations to and from Malta.

Last April, the government published a call for proposals for airlines to operate new routes to and from Malta. All four routes - Bremen, Girona, Bari and Stockholm - were taken up by Ryanair.

The six low-cost carriers that are operating to Malta are expected to fly over 200,000 passengers in a year.