Efly to launch daily Catania flights next month
Efly's € 39.95 one-way fare to Catania includes taxes and a 25-kg baggage allowance.
Italo-Maltese airline Efly will kickstart its daily operation to Catania on September 12 after aviation licensing procedures are completed in the coming days, sources close to the “luxury low-cost” carrier told The Times Business.
Efly will operate four flights a day between Malta and Sicily. Under a launch offer, Efly is making 3,000 seats available on the route for €39.95. The one-way fare includes taxes and a generous baggage allowance of 25 kilos.
Travellers are able to book seats at www.efly.it from today as an advertising campaign begins.
Sources said the airline was also planning to launch services to major European airports. Last month, Efly’s former chief executive officer Luigi Crispino said the airline had applied to operate the London Gatwick route following British Airways’s planned departure from the island in October.
The 40-minute flight to Catania departs Malta at 6.50 a.m. The return flight leaves Catania at 8.15 a.m. The evening service departs Malta at 6.15 and Catania at 7.40.
Efly will operate a BAE 146-300 on the route which has been decked in the company’s crimson and white livery and is parked close to the Medavia hangar at Luqa.
A second aircraft, currently in Exeter, is expected to be added to the service shortly.
The aircraft can accommodate 112 passengers. Efly will boast multi-national personnel with Italian and British pilots and cabin crew hailing from Malta, Italy, Ireland, Spain and the Faroe Islands.
Sources said Efly was working to organise package deals with Maltese hotels to incentivise traffic flow between the islands. The airline was also seeking to work with local travel agents and tour operators to spur the route’s development.
Efly currently operates from San Ġwann offices but plans to move to premises closer to Malta International Airport. Operational checks on its systems were completed this week. Pilots underwent testing under the authorities’ supervision in the UK last week and final technical inspections on the aircraft will be carried out next week.
The Efly project will finally get off the ground after several weeks’ wrangling with local aviation authorities over licensing issues. At the height of tensions between the parties in July, Dr Crispino resigned as Efly’s CEO and transferred all his shares to another firm, Aircraft Leasing Management. ALM is the proprietor of the four aircraft, formerly operated by British low-cost carrier FlyBe, which will be leased to Efly.
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13 Comments
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Lawrence Bonello
Aug 28th 2009, 18:57
If the service is as terrible as the website - God help us all!!
philip pace
Aug 27th 2009, 17:25
In view of the unfair treatment that we had to suffer from the Italian Government , re the immigrants incident, I would boycot anything that has to do with Italy and any Maltese company involved with them. Therefore Efly is not in my books. We can't be passive anymore so a form of action has to be taken, like boycotting. Only real Maltese are welcomed to do this. I am making my stand. What you going to do?
t pulis
Aug 27th 2009, 15:58
A 40 minute journey is too long ... if i am correct Airmalta planes make it in just 20-25 minutes. I would prefer our national airline. I strongly believe it would be another Britishjet!
Frank Muscat
Aug 27th 2009, 15:54
Efly have stated that this is a luxury low cost and ample seating space. Unlike Air Malta, the seating is cramped even making it impossible for a person like myself to put your feet straight, the reason why I will not travel with Air Malta. Efly also stated that they have reduced some seats to make it more comfortable to sit between seats. Lets hope they stand to their promise. If affermative they will make a big bang.
lgalea
Aug 27th 2009, 15:53
mrs g hoare You are right. Let's boycott Italy for what it's doing to us on the issue of ILLEGAL immigrants. anna cachia Travel at your own risk on an old aircraft. See Roger Boyle's posting.
R Sammut
Aug 27th 2009, 14:03
I phoned Efly. they are updating the website and so one cannot use the website to book today.
It will be available from tomorrow morning...
manicaro.p
Aug 27th 2009, 12:59
tried so many time to contact somebody but no answer. not friendly user website. Better use Airmalta at lease it's a good maltese product.
mrs g hoare
Aug 27th 2009, 12:51
PUTTING MONEY IN ITALIAN POCKETS IS A NO NO ESPECIALLY AT THIS CRUCIAL TIME THE MOMENT OF WHATS GOING ON WITH MALTA , THERE I THOUGHT EVERYBODY IS SCREAMING RECETION AND NO MONEY IN MALTA IT SHOWS US MALTESE WHAT BIG LIARS WE ARE , RECETION MY BIG FAT BUTT.
Roger Boyle
Aug 27th 2009, 12:29
Remember the Airmalta RJ saga? The BAe 146 is the same aircraft - only much much older than the, then, Airmalta's NEW RJ's. So I don't see this E-fly airline flying too high for too long.
anna cachia
Aug 27th 2009, 11:53
Allelulia! Now we can finally travel to eastern Sicily at a reasonable price ....both Airmalta and Virtu Ferries have been charging exorbitant prices for years for this short trip. Sicily has always been so close yet so far cost-wise....Ryanair's Trapani flight is a huge success, but the Eastern part of Sicily is so expensive to get to. Three cheers for Efly!
S Attard
Aug 27th 2009, 11:18
This website is really not USER FRIENDLY!!! Can someone please explain how to book a flight?
Thanks :)
a. sciberras
Aug 27th 2009, 10:54
despite the 25kg allowance, it is still not very ideal for shopping sprees in sicily, as popular with us maltese. there are no limits in weight when using the catamaran. besides using air transport, you would still need to hire a car if you want to go around.
a abela
Aug 27th 2009, 10:43
Let's hope this is not the end of the Air Malta, Malta-Catania route.
I cannot find where to book from however from efly.
Please choose the reason of your report below: