Emirates recently marked 20 years of service to Malta and the Maltese community. Since its first flight to Malta from Dubai on March 30, 1998, the airline has carried nearly 900,000 passengers between Dubai and Malta. During this time is has enabled trade and tourism to the region and provided a seamless daily link to the Far East and Australasia for Maltese travellers.

Over the past five years alone, Emirates has carried close to 7,000 tonnes of cargo to and from Malta, with main imports being pharmaceuticals and fresh fish, while main exports include electrical components and pharmaceuticals.

Emirates began its service to Malta via Athens with two weekly flights on an Airbus A300. In October 2005, the airline added two more flights, making the service four times weekly to Malta through Larnaca, Cyprus. Underlining its commitment to Malta, Emirates in 2008 again increased flights to make it a daily service, as well as introduced a Boeing 777-300ER. Currently, the Emirates operation to Malta carries over 2,500 passengers to and from the region each week.

To celebrate the occasion, members of the media were hosted by Paul Fleri Soler, Emirates’ Country Manager in Malta, to lunch at Zest, Hotel Juliani, St Julian’s.

While thanking passengers and service providers for their support over the years, Mr Fleri Soler, said: “We are proud to have a created a daily connection for Maltese travellers to Dubai, the Far East and beyond, which continues to increase in popularity. During the past 20 years, the airline has continued to reaffirm its commitment to Malta by employing more Maltese nationals, moving the airline’s area office to larger premises at MIA, introducing a Maltese menu to the airline’s catering offering and steadily increasing its passenger and cargo capacity to the region to meet growing demand.

“The Malta route is primarily an inbound one and the main inbound markets are Japan, Australia, the UAE, China and the Philippines, while strong outbound markets are Dubai, Australia and leisure destinations in Southeast Asia and the Indian Ocean,” he added.

For more information or to book a flight on Emirates, visit emirates.com/mt or contact your local travel agent.

Noel Grima with Alex Attard.Noel Grima with Alex Attard.

Edmund Vassallo with Mario Micallef.Edmund Vassallo with Mario Micallef.

Ray Bugeja and Matthew Xuereb.Ray Bugeja and Matthew Xuereb.

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