Maltese travellers booking Air Malta flights will be contributing a euro with each booking to sponsor the restoration of the oldest known collection of Shakespeare works in Malta.

The decaying books, held at the National Library in Valletta, are believed to date back to 1782.

The airline's CEO, Joe Capello, said during a visit to the library that Air Malta had been moved by an article in The Times to do its bit to help the library. The airline, he said, was also well aware of the importance of culture in Malta's tourism product.

The initiative was welcomed by Education Minister Dolores Cristina, who said this was a fine example of corporate social responsibility which should be followed by other companies.

The scheme will run for a month in parallel with another scheme, where foreigners booking Air Malta flights on the internet will be contributing to a marine conservation campaign.

Fares are not affected by the initiatives.