Last weekend, Air Malta operated its last flights. The airline has been replaced by a new national airline.
On the night of March 30 to 31, with the start of the summer schedule and the airline’s fiftieth anniversary, Air Malta handed over the baton to the new airline: KM Malta Airlines. The last flight of the suspended airline took off from Heathrow Airport at 8:30 PM on Saturday and landed at Malta Airport around half past twelve on Sunday night. Air Malta thanked its employees in a final message: ‘We sincerely thank our dedicated employees for their constant commitment and hard work throughout our 50-year tenure.’
The route network of KM Malta Airlines was already established last year. The company continues to fly to seventeen important destinations, including Amsterdam. Furthermore, the company is taking over the entire Air Malta fleet, despite the European Commission calling for a fleet reduction. Eventually, the two A320s that the airline still has will make way for additional A320neos.
Alitalia
Up in the Sky previously reported that the Maltese government wanted to liquidate Air Malta due to financial problems. That decision was taken after state aid of 290 million euros to the airline was not approved by the European Commission. According to Brussels, Air Malta has already received too much financial support over the past ten years. The current plan is very similar to the termination of Alitalia. That company was closed down by the Italian government and subsequently replaced by ITA Airways. The new airline can then start without debt or state support and aims to perform better at lower costs.
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