Air Malta flights will now be sold on Ryanair's website after the two airline companies announced a joint venture, which will see the latter have access to the unique routes and air service agreements provided by the national airline.
The initiative will see Ryanair have access to 21 Air Malta routes to countries such as Portugal, Morocco, Spain, Sicily, Italy, Russia, Switzerland, Austria, and Israel, among others. This means that Ryanair would be selling a total of 74 different routes to Malta on its website.
A 14.99 euro seat-sale for flights, through both Ryanair and Air Malta, to Malta was also announced.
Speaking at a press conference at Air Malta's offices, Chairman Charles Mangion said that the joint venture will allow Air Malta to enrich its online presence, tap into new markets, and access new revenues; while Ryanair would it be able to provide greater choice to their consumers.
Asked specifically what Ryanair stood to gain from the deal, Ryanair CCO David O'Brien said that the company would make a sale commission off the flights, while also forming part of the company's wider initiative to expand from a single airline to a multi-service website. He also highlighted that Malta's links and access to Africa will also be explored.
Referring to his previous statements that he was pessimistic about Air Malta's future, O'Brien clarified that this was only if growth remained an issue.
"None of the smaller regional airlines would have been able to survive in isolation," he said.
Pressed on the airline's current financial situation, both Mangion and Tourism Minister Konrad Mizzi said that the audited financial results would be published in the coming months. Pushed further to provide a better overview, Mangion said: "we made money".
Mizzi, who said that Air Malta's growth strategy towards becoming the "airline of the Mediterranean" was reaping rewards, explaining that the two airlines would be looking towards further collaboration in the future, in particular when it comes to linking Ryanair passengers to Africa.