Ryanair is set to overtake Air Malta as the largest carrier out of Malta by next winter, with the budget airline announcing 16 new winter routes – expected to bring its total passenger numbers up to two million a year.
Addressing a news conference yesterday, Ryanair spokeswoman Chiara Ravara described the new winter schedule as the biggest ever for Malta.
The airline will be opening five new winter routes from Malta, namely Brussels Zaventem (daily), Nuremburg, Toulouse and Valencia (twice weekly) and Vilnius (once a week).
Moreover, 11 summer routes will also be extended to winter. They are Athens, Manchester, Baden-Baden, Berlin, Bournemouth, Cologne, Girona, Gdansk, Glasgow, Poznan and Wroclaw.
The opening of Brussels route could be of concern to national airline
The new routes are expected to deliver two million passengers a year, nearly a 50 per cent increase for Ryanair, and higher than the figures registered by Air Malta.
The opening of a Brussels route, currently one of Air Malta’s most profitable routes, could also be of concern to the national airline. Air Malta recently reached the end of a five-year restructuring plan agreed on with the European Commission which was intended to return the airline to profit by March. The airline has projected breaking even by March 2017.
When contacted, a spokesman for the national airline insisted the carrier was open to competition and reaffirmed the strength of its Brussels services, which operate up to twice daily.
“We believe that while the daily services to Brussels by Ryanair will increase competition, they will also further increase demand on this route.
“As long as competition is fair and on a level playing field, the Maltese airline will continue with its long-term commitment to operate services on this route.”
The spokesman also noted that several of its competitors on key routes had left after a short trial period, referring specifically to Brussels Airlines (which briefly operated services from Malta last summer), and EasyJet’s withdrawal from the Rome route.
“It is important to note that unlike other opportunistic carriers who operate according to when and where they deem fit, Air Malta’s market is intrinsically tied to Malta.
“Air Malta’s shareholder remains Malta,” the spokesman added.
Ryanair also announced yesterday that it would be increasing flight frequency to Birmingham and the East Midlands (three times a week) as well as London Stansted and Madrid (four times a week).
The airline is running a seat sale with flights starting from €27.99 for travel in November and December. The sale ends on Tuesday.