| |||||||
Founded | 2 October 2023 (preceded by Air Malta) | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Commenced operations | 31 March 2024 | ||||||
AOC # | MT-80 | ||||||
Hubs | Malta International Airport | ||||||
Fleet size | 7 | ||||||
Destinations | 17 | ||||||
Parent company | Government of Malta | ||||||
Headquarters | Luqa, Malta | ||||||
Website | www |
KM Malta Airlines Ltd is the flag carrier of Malta headquartered in Luqa. It replaced its predecessor Air Malta on 31 March 2024 and serves destinations around Europe from its hub at Malta International Airport. [1]
Air Malta struggled financially since its creation in 1973 ultimately leading to its demise. [2] Before its closure, Air Malta was reportedly facing a loss of €30 million. [3] European Union regulations preclude companies from receiving state aid more than once within 10-year periods. [4] The chronically loss-making company had last received a state aid injection in 2012 and was again requesting aid in 2021 following the effects of the coronavirus pandemic. [5] [6]
In August 2022, the government announced it would dissolve Air Malta should the European Union deny further financial state aid to the airline. It would then move its assets to a succeeding carrier. [7] Shortly after, the decision regarding the airline's future was delayed to the end of 2022; however, the route network and frequencies saw extensive cuts by October 2022, including the termination of several destinations. [8]
The European Union announced in April 2023 that it would not allow the Maltese government to inject 290 million euros of state aid into the airline. [9] In October, the government announced that Air Malta would cease operations at the end of March 2024 to be replaced by a new company, KM Malta Airlines, thereby side-stepping EU regulations on state aid. [1] [10]
During a press conference in October 2023, Robert Abela, the prime minister of Malta, stated that the newly recapitalized KM Malta Airlines would retain Air Malta’s current fleet of eight Airbus A320 aircraft, even though the European Union initially wanted a reduction. Its initial routemap included flights to 17 airports in 15 key European cities from Malta: Amsterdam (AMS), Berlin (BER), Brussels (BRU), Catania (CTA), Dusseldorf (DUS), London (LGW & LHR), Lyon (LYS), Madrid (MAD), Milan (LIN), Munich (MUC), Paris (CDG & ORY), Prague (PRG), Rome (FCO), Vienna (VIE), and Zurich (ZRH). [11] Air Malta operated to 37 destinations as recently as 2019. [12]
It was also announced that the new airline will employ approximately 390 employees and will eventually phase out the early retirement schemes of Air Malta within the next four years. Refunds were offered starting November 1, 2023 for those with booked Air Malta flights beyond March 30. Booking for flights with the new airline after March 31 went on sale on December 1 2023. Those who accumulated air miles could be paid starting February 2024. [1]
While the airline plans to eventually fly under Air Malta branding, the government was unable to fulfill its pledge that it would be able to do so at launch with the procurement process yet to be launched when the airline began flying. [13] The new airline would be able to rent the Air Malta branding from the government [note 1] after a competitive process so its aircraft could fly under the Air Malta brand and the aircraft livery would continue to incorporate the Maltese Cross. [14] Malta's finance minister, Clyde Caruana, announced that when the new airline is financially stable and making a profit, the government will begin the process of looking into partially privatizing the airline with the government remaining as majority shareholder. [3]
On the day KM Malta Airlines launched, Illum reported that applicants for cabin crew positions were no longer required to be fluent in Maltese. [15] This sparked outrage from the Nationalist Party and other politicians. [16] [17] [18] Prime Minister Robert Abela was asked about this controversy during a press conference and stated that he expects cabin crew to speak Maltese that that it would be added as a prerequisite. [19]
These are the supposed destinations of KM Malta Airlines which were announced by Minister Clyde Caruana at a press conference on 3 October 2023: [12] [20]
KM Malta Airlines currently has codeshare agreements with the following airlines:
As of April 2024 [update] , KM Malta Airlines operates the following aircraft: [25]
Aircraft | In Service | Orders | Passengers | Notes | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
J | Y | Total | ||||
Airbus A320-200 | 1 | — | 12 | 156 | 168 | All inherited from Air Malta. |
Airbus A320neo | 6 | — | 12 | 168 | 180 | |
Total | 7 | — |
Delta Air Lines is one of the major airlines of the United States and a legacy carrier headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. The United States' oldest operating airline and the seventh-oldest operating worldwide, Delta along with its subsidiaries and regional affiliates, including Delta Connection, operates over 5,400 flights daily and serves 325 destinations in 52 countries on six continents. Delta is a founding member of the SkyTeam airline alliance. As of the end of 2022, it had 90,000 employees.
WestJet Airlines, founded in 1994 and headquartered in Calgary, Alberta, is the second-largest airline in Canada. It began operations in 1996 as a low-cost alternative to the country's major airlines. Today, WestJet operates scheduled, charter, and cargo air service, transporting more than 25 million passengers per year. The airline has a significant domestic and international network, which serves over 100 destinations across Canada, United States, Mexico, Caribbean, Europe, Asia, and Central America. WestJet has an average of 777 flights per day, solidifying its position as the eighth-largest airline in North America by frequency.
Air Malta, stylized as airmalta, was a Maltese airline headquartered in Luqa and based at Malta International Airport. It operated services as the country's flag carrier to destinations in Europe, the Middle East and North Africa.
Scandinavian Airlines, more commonly known and styled as SAS, is the flag carrier of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. SAS is an abbreviation of the company's full name, Scandinavian Airlines System or legally Scandinavian Airlines System Denmark-Norway-Sweden. Part of the SAS Group and headquartered at the SAS Frösundavik Office Building in Solna, Sweden, the airline operates 180 aircraft to 90 destinations. The airline's main hub is at Copenhagen-Kastrup Airport, with connections to 109 destinations around the world. Stockholm Arlanda Airport is the second largest hub, with Oslo Airport, Gardermoen being the third major hub of SAS. Minor hubs also exist at Bergen Airport, Flesland, Göteborg Landvetter Airport, Stavanger Airport, and Trondheim Airport. SAS Cargo is an independent, wholly owned subsidiary of Scandinavian Airlines and its main office is at Copenhagen Airport.
airBaltic, legally incorporated as AS Air Baltic Corporation, is the flag carrier of Latvia, with its head office on the grounds of Riga International Airport in Mārupe municipality near Riga. Its main hub is Riga, and it operates bases in Tallinn, Vilnius, Tampere and a seasonal base in Las Palmas launched in 2023. It is 97% owned by the Government of Latvia. It operates flights solely on Airbus A220 planes. It operates a frequent-flyer program and a buy on board menu offering food and drinks for purchase.
Luxair, legally Luxair S.A., Société Luxembourgeoise de Navigation Aérienne, is the flag carrier of Luxembourg with its headquarters and hub at Luxembourg Airport. It operates scheduled services to destinations in Europe, North Africa, the Mediterranean and Middle East with additional charter and seasonal services. It is Luxembourg's only passenger-carrying airline offering regular, non-charter service.
JetBlue Airways Corporation is a low-cost airline in the United States. It is headquartered in the Long Island City neighborhood of the New York City borough of Queens. It also maintains corporate offices in Utah and Florida.
Ethiopian Airlines, formerly Ethiopian Air Lines (EAL), is the flag carrier of Ethiopia, and is wholly owned by the country's government. EAL was founded on 21 December 1945 and commenced operations on 8 April 1946, expanding to international flights in 1951. The firm became a share company in 1965 and changed its name from Ethiopian Air Lines to Ethiopian Airlines.
Air Europa Líneas Aéreas, S.A.U., branded as Air Europa, is the third-largest Spanish airline after Iberia and Vueling. The airline is headquartered in Llucmajor, Mallorca, Spain; it has its main hub at Adolfo Suárez Madrid–Barajas Airport with focus city operations at Palma de Mallorca Airport and Tenerife North Airport. Air Europa flies to over 44 destinations in Spain, the rest of Europe, South America, North America, the Caribbean, Morocco and Tunisia. Since September 2007, Air Europa has been member of the SkyTeam alliance.
Etihad Airways is one of two flag carriers of the United Arab Emirates. Its head office is in Khalifa City, Abu Dhabi, near Zayed International Airport. The airline commenced operations in November 2003, and is the second-largest airline in the UAE after Emirates. The name Etihad is the Arabic word for 'Union'.
Aegean Airlines S.A. is the flag carrier of Greece and the largest Greek airline by total number of passengers carried, by number of destinations served, and by fleet size. A Star Alliance member since June 2010, it operates scheduled and charter services from Athens and Thessaloniki to other major Greek, European and Middle Eastern destinations. Its main hubs are Athens International Airport in Athens, Macedonia International Airport in Thessaloniki and Larnaca International Airport in Cyprus. It also uses other Greek airports as bases, some of which are seasonal. It has its head office in Kifisia, a suburb of Athens.
Oman Air is the flag carrier of Oman. Based at Muscat International Airport in Muscat, it operates domestic and international passenger services, as well as regional air taxi and charter flights.
Eurowings GmbH is a German low-cost airline headquartered in Düsseldorf and a wholly owned subsidiary of the Lufthansa Group. Founded in 1996, it serves a network of domestic and European destinations and maintains bases at several airports throughout Germany and Austria.
Brussels Airlines is the flag carrier and largest airline of Belgium, based and headquartered at Brussels Airport. It operates to over 100 destinations in Europe, North America and Africa and also offers charter services, maintenance and crew training. It is a member of the Star Alliance as well as the International Air Transport Association. The airline's IATA code SN is inherited from its predecessors, Sabena and SN Brussels Airlines. Brussels Airlines is part of the Lufthansa Group. The company slogan is ′You’re in good company′.
Air France, stylised as AIRFRANCE, is the flag carrier of France headquartered in Tremblay-en-France. It is a subsidiary of the Air France–KLM Group and a founding member of the SkyTeam global airline alliance. As of 2013, Air France serves 29 destinations in France and operates worldwide scheduled passenger and cargo services to 201 destinations in 78 countries and also carried 46,803,000 passengers in 2019. The airline's global hub is at Charles de Gaulle Airport with Orly Airport as the primary domestic hub. Air France's corporate headquarters, previously in Montparnasse, Paris, are located at the Roissypôle complex on the grounds of Charles de Gaulle Airport, north of Paris.
Dubai Aviation Corporation, operating as Flydubai, is an Emirati government-owned low-cost airline based in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The airline mainly operates out of Terminal 2 at Dubai International Airport, though some flights fly out from Terminal 3. The airline operates a total of 124 destinations, serving the Middle East, Africa, Asia and Europe from Dubai. The company slogan is Get Going.
Cambodia Angkor Air is the national flag carrier airline of Cambodia, with its corporate headquarters and main hub in Phnom Penh. The company slogan is "Proudly Serve the Kingdom".
Air Serbia is the flag carrier of Serbia. The company's headquarters is located in Belgrade, Serbia, and its main hub is Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport. The airline was known as Jat Airways until it was renamed and rebranded in 2013.
SkyUp Airlines LLC is a Ukrainian charter and low-cost airline headquartered in Kyiv, which began its operation in May 2018. During 2021, the airline carried 2,546,899 passengers, performed 15,962 flights, and transported 786.5 tons of cargo. It has 1172 employees.
Italia Trasporto Aereo S.p.A., dba ITA Airways, is the flag carrier of Italy. It is owned by the Government of Italy via the Ministry of Economy and Finance and was founded in 2020 as bankrupt Alitalia's successor. The airline flies to over 70 scheduled domestic, European, and intercontinental destinations. ITA Airways is a member of the SkyTeam airline alliance. Its main hub is Rome Fiumicino Airport near Rome and focus city is Linate Airport near Milan.