Air Malta is substantially increasing seat capacity on various markets including Germany, France, Switzerland, Catania and central and eastern Europe, chief executive office Joe Cappello said this afternoon.

Speaking during the launch of this year's edition of Amitex, the yearly travel fair organised by the airline, Mr Cappello said Air Malta would this summer be operating 15 weekly flights more than in the same period last year. It would be operating with a fleet of 12 aircraft.

Mr Cappello said Air Malta would be operating to two new destinations - Verona and Stuttgart. It would also be reintroducing flights to Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris with a four times weekly operation and Domodedovo Airport in Moscow with five times weekly.

Other destinations getting an increase in frequency inlcude Frankfurt, Munich, Zurich, Sofia and Istanbul.

Mr Cappello said that the considerable increase of seat capacity by over 50,000 seats and the new frequencies demonstrated Air Malta's committment and loyalty to the Maltese public and travel trade, as well as to the local tourism industry. Through these increases, the airline was facilitating access to more tourists to travel to Malta.

Commenting on the airline's passenger performance last winter, Mr Cappello said Air Malta transported 484,418 passenters this winter, 26,415 less than last year's seasonal record.

Mr Cappello said that Air Malta had been strongly hit on three fronts - the rising cost of fuel, the drop in the value of the sterling against the euro and the fall in demand in the airline's core markets at the beginning of the year.

The Amitex fair this year is being held between April 23 and 26 at the Malta Fairs and Convention Centre in Ta' Qali.

Local and foreign travel operators will be offering a myriad travel options and Chasing Pandora will be performing on April 26 at about 7.30 p.m.

The fair will be open from 6 to 10 p.m. between April 23 and 25 and from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m,. and from 4 to 9 p.m. on April 26.

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