Malta International Airport: Difference between revisions

The most important airline at MLA is obviously [http://www.airliners.net/search/photo.search?airlinesearch=Air+Malta Air Malta,] which operates a  fleet of Airbus A319s and A320s plus two Boeing 737s (which are soon to be phased out). Another company, European 2000 Airlines, operates a pair of [http://www.airliners.net/search/photo.search?id=0948523,0919275 Fairchild Metros] which can often be seen in Park 3 when not in use. There are two flying schools which contribute to a fairly lively general aviation scene. Also based at MLA is the [http://www.airliners.net/search/photo.search?airlinesearch=Malta+-+Air+Force Armed Forces of Malta Air Wing] which operates a mix of helicopters and light aircraft.  

MLA hosts two maintenance and repair facilities. The Lufthansa Technik Malta plant, located in the airport grounds, carries out C checks on Airbus and Boeing narrowbodies and will also undertake D checks on Airbus widebodies as from October 2008 in a new hangar which is being built for the purpose. Next to the airport on the Safi side (across the road from the Spotters' Wall), the Medavia/NCA complex carries out maintenance work on smaller aircraft. [http://www.airliners.net/search/photo.search?airlinesearch=Medavia Medavia] operates its own small fleet of turboprops, mostly on ferry flights to and from North Africa.

Foreign airlines which fly to Malta throughout the year include British Airways, Alitalia, Lufthansa, Emirates, Ryanair, Germanwings, Sevenair, Libyan Airlines, Thomas Cook and Thomsonfly. BA flights are being operated by GB Airways flying in BA livery up to Spring 2008.  

In summer traffic increases considerably. Airlines which operate seasonal Malta routes constitute an ever-varying collection but normally include Austrian Airlines, SAS, Sterling, Finnair, Spanair, Atlant-Soyuz and First Choice. As already mentioned, the best bet for the overseas visitor is to consult the flight schedules on the MLA website. Aircraft types used include Airbus and Boeing narrowbodies, CRJs, ERJ-145s and ATR turboprops, and Boeing 777s (Emirates). Occasional visitors, particularly in summer, can include anything from military aircraft in transit to chartered 747s.