Air Malta fuel bill rose to €86m last year - airline among best performing in Europe
Figures issued by the Association of European Airlines (AEA) show that in 2009 Air Malta was the 5th best performing airline in terms of passenger traffic compared to the 30 European airlines members of the Association.
In 2009 Air Malta transported 1,541,300 passengers (-2.6%) on scheduled services compared to the average -5.8% registered by the airline members of the Association, 3.2% points better than the European average.
Air Malta Chief Executive, Joe Cappello welcomed the results. "2009 was a difficult year for the whole airline business. The economic recession in various countries around the world had its toll on airlines large and small not only on passenger figures but also on yields. A few weeks ago the International Air Transport Association (IATA) reported that demand statistics for international scheduled air traffic show that 2009 suffered the largest ever post-war decline whilst in Europe, the Association of European Airlines said that its members registered a 20million passenger drop which surpasses the previously greatest recorded annual traffic loss, of 14 million in 2002, following the 9/11 outrage.
"As expected last year we registered a slight decrease in passengers over 2008. Thus, considering the international scenario, our record 2008 results, and the intense competition we have on the Malta routes, we believe that we have registered a relatively good year in terms of passenger figures," continued Mr Cappello.
During the last six years, Air Malta's fuel bill rose from €26 million in 2003 to €86 million for financial year 2008/2009.
"It is also worth pointing out that when the price of fuel was rising, and with it the airline's operating costs, the average fare of Air Malta's air tickets was going down. In fact, during the last six years Air Malta's fares went down by 13% while the fuel cost went up by 330%," said Mr Cappello.
In 2009 Air Malta's ten best performing routes were London Heathrow, London Gatwick, Manchester, Munich, Catania, Rome, Paris Orly, Frankfurt, Brussels and Amsterdam. These routes contribute to almost one million passengers every year. The traffic performance of these routes was fairly stable over the last two years.
In 2009 a total of 135,000 passengers (+7.6%) were transported on the airline out of Catania airport over 2008. During the year Air Malta saw a decrease of 30% in charter traffic with 128,986 passengers travelling on Air Malta's charter services. Charter traffic was particularly hurt due to effects that low cost airlines had on tour operator traffic.
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G Guccione
Mar 1st 2010, 18:15
finally something that actually works well in the public sector. I have travelled with air malta about 6 times these last 4 months and i consider myself as a satisfied customer. Well Done.
Stephen Borg Cardona
Feb 28th 2010, 02:32
@ Farnco Farrugia, some American airlines actually charge corpulent passengers for two seats.
Claire Busuttil
Feb 27th 2010, 19:58
@MSchembri-----If Airmalta got 25 euros for every passenger carried,like Ryanair is getting,the national airline would not have had any loss.
Do not compare Airmalta with Ryanair, they are 2 different kind of business.....and everyone, is free to make the best choice for himself. The good thing is that we finally can choose.
chris spiteri
Feb 27th 2010, 17:49
@ Franco Farrugia.
The only seats that do not recline on all Air Malta aircraft are those required by law> That is in front of the emergency exits. One row on the A319s and 2 rows on the A320s.
Anabel Gauci
Feb 27th 2010, 15:42
@ PH.Mallia See http://files.aea.be/News/PR/Pr10-004.pdf for the complete statistics
Ml.Schembri
Feb 27th 2010, 13:23
If Airmalta got 25 euros for every passenger carried,like Ryanair is getting,the national airline would not have had any loss.
Roger Boyle
Feb 27th 2010, 13:11
@Franco Farrugia
Air Malta actually flies LESS seats on it's aircraft than most European airlines. An Airbus A320 can carry a maximum of 184 passengers. Air Malta only has 168 seats. And this is in an all economy version. With business class there are even less.
@J Bonnici
The short answer is YES. Air Malta does not charge a fuel surcharge anymore. You seem satisfied that the airline is not making a profit. But then again that is the Maltese mentality. When HSBC announced millions in profit, the bank was flamed on this blog.
@PH Mallia
The Association of European Airlines brings together 36 major airlines, and has been the voice of the European airline industry for over 50 years. Based on its extensive knowledge of the industry and its far-reaching networks, AEA is an essential platform for industry, and is relied upon by policy-makers and the media as a trustworthy contributor to the debates around the decision-making process. AEA works in partnership with the institutions of the European Union and other stakeholders in the value chain, to ensure the sustainable growth of the European airline industry in a global context.
WELL DONE AIR MALTA
PH.Mallia
Feb 27th 2010, 12:03
Says Who ? where do they get these reports or statistic from i wonder, the media tell us different.
Peter Murray
Feb 27th 2010, 12:01
What exactly is the criteria for determining an airline "performs best in Europe"?Regarding the fuel bill Air Malta unilaterally and unaccountably onpassed this burden onto their passengers ,in contrast to all other airlines, by unscrupulously maintaining the fuel surcharge in their fares for almost a year after the price of fuel dropped in price by almost 50 percent.What about that performance quality?
J.Bonnici
Feb 27th 2010, 11:46
You would think they are actually making a profit.
Franco Farrugia
Feb 27th 2010, 10:52
As a frequent flyer, may I make a suggestion? If Air Malta continue insisting on mercilessly increasing rows of seats on certain planes, can they please prohibit passengers from reclining said seats? It is a terrible nuisance, and corpulent passengers really feel claustrophobic in their seats. Please, do take this suggestion into consideration. Thank you.