The number of aircraft on the Maltese aviation register has reached 104, an increase of 18 aircraft over the previous year, Transport Malta said.

The Authority said it had noted notable interest from operators to relocate their business to Malta and it is currently processing more than 30 requests from international business aviation operators.

Throughout the past year, the Authority continued its effort to restructure the Civil Aviation directorate in order to reinforce its capability to target this market. It has invested in personnel with the necessary expertise to ensure the highest level of safety standards and service required by the industry. These efforts have been recognised by leading international operators who are increasingly considering Malta as their place for business, TM said.

A number of initiatives, supported by leading local legal and corporate professionals, have been taken to promote Malta's product. The efforts targeted   blue chip aviation companies operating in the private and business aviation sector. These included participation in the annual European Business Aviation Conference, attendance in a number of important international industry networking seminars and an event organised in conjunction with the Financial Times in Paris last September.

Dr Stanley Portelli, CEO of Transport Malta commented "these positive results encourage us to work harder and invest additional resources to ensure Malta continues to secure more business from a sector that gives our country prestige, direct foreign revenue, employment and added value."