Tourism Minister Konrad Mizzi discussed potential initiatives with Airbus during a visit to the aircraft maker's headquarters in Toulouse.  

One of the potential initiatives is the development of a flight academy to be set up by Air Malta with the support of Airbus, the Tourism Ministry said. The academy would offer a range of training courses for pilots. The proposal was made by Air Malta after the airline trained 20 cadet pilots for Qatar Airways.

Airbus officials also provided a production update on the delivery of two new A320neo aircraft which will be joining Air Malta’s fleet in the first half of 2019. The brand new aircraft will replace A320ceo aircraft as part of Air Malta’s fleet renewal programme.

Talks were also held on cost-effective technical options which will be available to Air Malta to launch longer-haul routes.

Dr Mizzi said that such meetings proved fruitful and would now enable to Air Malta to plan new routes in line with its growth strategy. The Government’s vision for the airline is to position itself as the Airline of the Mediterranean which would connect Europe with Africa, the Middle East, and beyond.