The Malta Airport Foundation will be restoring the wartime Combined Operations Rooms buried deep underground in Valletta, in collaboration with Fondażżjoni Wirt Artna.
Built in the early stages of the Air Battle for Malta in 1940, the Combined Operations Room was the place where commanders of the three services took crucial decisions in the defence of the island, and later the invasion of Sicily.
After the Second World War, the complex went on to be used by NATO as a submarine tracking centre and had an active role in the Suez Crisis of 1956. It was closed in 1977.
With a contribution of over €280,000 to the project, the restoration project is the foundation's heftiest investment in Malta's heritage to date.
The complex covers an area of 28,000 square metres and spreads underneath the Upper Barrakka Gardens all the way to St Peter and Paul Counterguard across Valletta’s main ditch.
The Malta Airport Foundation was set up in 2014 to independently manage and implement Malta International Airport’s Corporate Responsibility (CR) projects and investments for maximum impact and transparency.