The signet ring on Joseph Calleja’s finger – which he never takes off – is embossed with the Maltese cross. The tenor’s affinity for this symbol so synonymous with Malta reflects his love of the country.

“When I’m away from Malta, somewhere where the weather is dark and gloomy and see the airline adverts with the Maltese pointed cross at the airport, I perk up,” said Calleja yesterday, addressing a conference during which he was appointed Air Malta’s brand ambassador.

Calleja, 35, said the first thing he tells the Air Malta crew whenever he boards their aircraft is that he feels he’s at home already, and that’s usually followed by a “Please can I have a Kinnie with ice now.”

Air Malta CEO Peter Davies described the internationally acclaimed tenor as one of those people who “absolutely represent Malta”.

“Air Malta represents the values of this country and Joseph’s role will be to get people living abroad to understand the Maltese culture, history and encourage them to come here,” said Mr Davies. He then joked with Calleja that as he’s Welsh, he once sang in a choir: “So from a choral point of view there is a bonding.”

Asked by The Times whether Calleja will be taking part in Air Malta adverts, Mr Davies said: “We’re not here to commercialise our partnership but to explore how we can best promote Malta.”

Philip Saunders, Air Malta Chief Commercial Officer, explained that Air Malta will be promoting culture tourism: “There is a synergy between Malta and the major concert halls in great cities around the world, where Joseph performs.”

He said that Air Malta was moving away from traditional forms of advertising. “We want to persuade people to think about Malta in new ways. Expect new things from us ... So, watch this space,” said Mr Saunders, as he welcomed Calleja to “his second home”.

The tenor wrapped up the event by urging everyone “tobe an ambassador for Malta”, which he described as “one of the best kept secrets in the Mediterranean”.

He also mentioned that he will soon be launching a Children’s Foundation.

The three-year agreement was signed today between Air Malta and NnG Promotions, the local representatives of Calleja. The tenor was last year appointed as Malta’s first official cultural ambassador.

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:
Please select at least one mailing list.

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.