Air Malta will not become a feeder airline, Tourism Minister Edward Zammit Lewis told business leaders during a meeting this afternoon. 

Dr Zammit Lewis "categorically denied" reports that negotiations between the government and Alitalia, which is keen to buy a 49 per cent stake in Air Malta, involved turning the carrier into a feeder airline. 

A feeder airline, also known as a regional airline, carries passengers from destinations not served by large carriers to hub airports for an onward journey on national or international airlines.

In a meeting with the Chamber of Commerce, Enterprise and Industry, the minister said that it was an "absolute priority" throughout negotiations that any eventual solution safeguarded Air Malta, the local tourism sector and the airline's tourism-focused routes.

Ministry officials, Air Malta chairwoman Maria Micallef and Chamber of Commerce president Anton Borg were all present for the "cordial" meeting. 

Dr Zammit Lewis had already said Air Malta would "never be a feeder airline" last May. This latest denial comes after sources said a business plan drawn up by Alitalia - which is part-owned by UAE carrier Etihad - envisioned an Air Malta vastly expanding its route network to the African continent, to the detriment of European routes.