I refers to the letter ‘What’s in store for Air Malta’ (January 6). The airline’s flight to Gatwick on January 20 was cancelled due to scheduled maintenance work on one aircraft. Booked passengers were advised at the end of December and offered alternative travel dates.

This cancellation was a one off and was not as a result of low demand as inferred in the letter. In November and December, Air Malta carried almost 210,000 passengers in line with last year. Forward bookings for the coming months are above expectations.

Furthermore, as announced last month, Air Malta has added 15 flights to London’s Gatwick Airport this winter. The additional capacity was intended to cover the peak periods in December and January and, commencing on March 4, the airline will be adding two additional weekly flights on Tuesday and Friday to a total of nine weekly flights.

Together with our double daily flights to Heathrow we have now the best offer and connections into the city covering both south and northwest London. The UK is our main market and we intend to continue working hard to support and develop it further both for the local travelling public and the local tourism industry.

Meals, alcohol, drinks and newspapers are no longer served free of charge on most European short haul flights. The changing consumer trends towards low-cost travel have pushed airlines to lower their fares and provide additional services at a small charge. Despite this, Air Malta still offers a complimentary snack and water on its flights.

Last August, the airline implemented a number of changes to its product range. It is now offering three economy tiers and three business options. The new range is aimed to offer more choice, flexibility and peace of mind to its customers.

Customer service was and will always remain of utmost priority to the airline. The airline is the first organisation in Malta to introduce the net promoter score (NPS), a new, simple, yet effective method to understand real-time customer satisfaction levels. Since July 2015, over 10,700 customers have submitted their feedback and the airline is achieving one of the highest scores across various industries.

Air Malta remains committed to be the airline of choice when travelling to/from the Maltese islands.