2 comments so far.British Airways inaugural flight welcomed at Malta International Airport
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British Airways, returned to Malta International Airport on Sunday for the inaugural flight of its new daily service to London Gatwick Airport.
The inaugural flight celebrations were hosted by Malta International Airport Chief Commercial Officer, Alan Borg, in the presence of Tourism Minister Karmenu Vella together with Malta Tourism Authority CEO Josef Formosa Gauci.
Commenting about the return of British Airways, Malta International Airport CEO Markus Klaushofer said: “It is a privilege to welcome this flag carrier back to Malta after an absence of five years. This additional Gatwick route will provide greater choice for holidaymakers and business travellers, while encouraging short-breaks and facilitating visits of friends and family who live between Malta and UK.”
British Airways is synonymous with the UK, Malta’s biggest tourism market, while Gatwick is Malta’s most popular route, with 4.1 per cent traffic growth registered in 2013.
A founding member of the OneWorld Alliance, British Airways originally started operating to Malta in the 1940s but interrupted its operations twice, most recently in 2009.
This year, British Airways has nominated Malta among its top 14 destinations for 2014, alongside destinations like Rio de Janeiro, Johannesburg, Santorini and Las Vegas.
Tourism Minister Karmenu Vella described the return of one of the world’s leading flag carriers as a strong vote of confidence in the Maltese islands.
He said the Government always recognised the strong link between adequate seat capacity and success within the tourism industry. He thanked all stakeholders, in particular Malta Tourism Authority and Malta International Airport, for their continuous commitment in ensuring the success of this vital industry.
Malta Tourism Authority CEO Josef Formosa Gauci, warmly welcomed the return of British Airways to Malta. He said that the UK remains Malta’s largest source market and the presence of British Airways will further consolidate our successes in this market.
The aircraft was welcomed by a water salute on the taxiway by the Malta International Airport Fire and Rescue Department, followed by a cake-cutting ceremony. Hostesses dressed in traditional Maltese dress greeted passengers with flowers in the Arrivals hall.
Chief Commercial Officer, Alan Borg, took the opportunity to thank outgoing Tourism Minister for his commitment and dedication towards the growth of the industry. Mr Borg congratulated Dr. Edward Zammit Lewis on his appointment and expressed his confidence that the good relations enjoyed between the two entities will continue to be strengthened further.
Photograph by Rene Rossignaud © Malta International Airport plc
I am truly delighted for Malta if the BA scheduled return helps with Malta’s Tourism, however, my wife and I remain completely devoted to our loyalty with Malta’s National Airline ‘Air Malta’ which we will continue to use regularly and give our votes to. Air Malta is really quite superb in thier very high standard of customer service, value for money and excess baggage allowances which for our scuba diving equipment is just brilliant. Air Malta gets our vote for sure.
If you are flying Air Malta Economy class you have a checked baggage allowance of 20 kg per person which is exactly the same as Easyjet. The only difference is that you are paying a lot more for your ticket.