It had a humble beginning, fighting the odds but, as the saying goes, where there is a will there is a way. And 35 years after being registered as a limited liability company Air Malta can proudly boast of carrying over two million passengers a year, as against the 53,500 in its first year of operation.
When the national carrier, which was registered on March 30, 1973, made its first flight on April 1, 1974, only two foreign airlines used to operate regular scheduled services to Malta: British European Airways and Alitalia. Now, 35 years later, the civil aviation industry has grown and the scenario has completely changed, the latest addition being the ever-so-popular low-cost airlines. Still, the Maltese airline - which has so far handled 35 million passengers - remains the major driving force behind the development of the thriving tourism industry as we know it nowadays.
Air Malta was set up with the primary aim of establishing, maintaining, developing and operating air transport services to and from Malta and so, through the carriage of passengers, freight and mail, serve the national interest. Of course, it still fulfils these aims and has grown to become one of the most important Maltese organisations not only assisting the tourism sector but also providing businesses that operate in this country with a wide distribution network abroad. Studies have shown that the airline today generates about 25 per cent of the total expenditure by tourists and accounts for about seven per cent of the Gross National Product.
Air Malta started flying operations with two wet-leased Boeing 720Bs from Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), operating its first flights to London and Rome. The first routes were London, Birmingham, Manchester, Rome, Frankfurt, Paris and Tripoli. Air Malta now serves about 50 destinations with something like 200 weekly flights to Europe, North Africa and the Eastern Mediterranean.
In line with the development of manufacturing activities in Malta, the transportation of cargo has throughout the years become more important for Air Malta. Early in 1993 the airline took a fresh look at its cargo operations with a view to air freight achieving a greater percentage of the company's turnover. Today, CargoSystems is a specialised unit providing services ranging from third-party handling through warehousing, cold storage facilities, marketing, onboard courier services and a dedicated scheduled freighter operation: a new concept for the airline which is now in its 14th year. Air Malta's cargo services also provide a vital link to the transportation of mail to and from the islands.
At the start of the millennium the airline recognised the need of a younger fleet to lower maintenance costs and downtimes. In July 2002 Air Malta announced it had concluded a multi-million-dollar agreement for the renewal of its fleet over a four-and-a-half-year period. Two major elements of the deal involved the sale and lease back from ILFC, a major American aircraft lessor, of Air Malta's own two A320-200s and three B737-300s and the lease of 12 new aircraft from the Airbus A320 family for a term of 12 years each.
The delivery of new state-of-the-art Airbus aircraft gave Air Malta substantial operational and technological advantages, including better cabin layouts, in-flight entertainment opportunities, cost savings arising from fleet commonality and less CO2 emissions and noise footprints.
After Malta joined the European Union in May 2004, new opportunities arose for Air Malta. The airline immediately took the initiative and on May 1, 2004 started operating intra-European flights between Catania and London's Gatwick airport.
The intra-European network has now been expanded with flights from Catania to Munich, Casablanca, Geneva and from Reggio Calabria to Rome, among others. Air Malta also capitalised on these new opportunities by setting up bases in the UK and starting to operate charter flights from the UK to a number of holiday destinations in Europe.
Air Malta continues to be the prime air transport enterprise and throughout the years has invested in markets that have the potential to augment Malta's tourism intake. The airline remains the main single operator offering the most extensive choice of air services to get to Malta. It was, is and will remain committed to the Maltese community and its economy.