Updated 11.45am with reactions.
Air Malta is to recommence services to Frankfurt as from November, operating four times a week in winter and daily in Summer.
The decision was announced after a board meeting yesterday, and the airline is embarking on an intensive campaign to market the route.
The decision to stop operations to Frankfurt had been announced late last year, amid criticism by tourism operators and the PN.
READ: Tour operators concerned as Air Malta axes Frankfurt
The airline said today that its new service will be supported by an aggressive sales force as it is reorganising its the commercial effort in Germany and other main markets mainly across Europe.
Further changes are expected soon in the commercial area including a new product range.
The board meeting was chaired by new chairman Charles Mangion. Tourism Minister Konrad Mizzi attended.
GTA welcomes decision
The Gozo Tourism Association welcomed the announcement, saying that the closure of the route in March had been “a concern to the tourist industry”.
“This is an important step to re-establish additional connectivity and seat capacity in winter from Germany, which is one of Malta’s tourism core markets, apart from the fact that Frankfurt is Germany’s main airport, and one of the busiest in Europe. It is hoped that the re-opening of this route is done well, and is based on growth. Thus it would not result in Air Malta returning to service this route only for one season,” CEO Joe Muscat said.
MHRA sees positive signs
The Malta Hotels and Restaurants Association was also happy to hear the news, saying the tourism minister should continue with the re-evaluation of past axed routes, and possibly new routes.
It said that Germany was one of the main tourism source markets which had shown positive increases over the last six years.
“Frankfurt is a very important International Hub and particularly important for the meetings, incentives, conference and events (MICE) business especially in the winter months,” it added.
MHRA president Tony Zahra said: "We are getting the feeling from discussions we have held with Minister Konrad Mizzi, that there is a new positive feeling about Air Malta which is so essential if Air Malta is to achieve the long sought for turnaround. There seems to be a very determined effort to look at all past decisions and those that worked are maintained and those that did not will be changed.”
Malta Tourism Authority hails links from Frankfurt
The Malta Tourism Authority also saw the step as a positive one, noting that improved connectivity was in the best interest of the destination, the operators and the travelling public.
MTA chief executive Paul Bugeja added that apart from being a gateway for leisure and MICE traffic originating from Germany itself, Frankfurt also handled traffic from the Nordic Countries, Eastern Europe, Russia, and the former Soviet States, “not to mention long haul markets like North America and Asia, including China, Japan and Korea, for which Frankfurt is one of the main European hubs.