Minister for the Economy, Investment and Small Businesses responsible for Air Malta Silvio Schembri launched Air Malta Holidays, the inbound package holiday arm of the national airline.
Schembri said that the launch of Air Malta Holidays is the next natural step forward when one takes into account that every year Air Malta flies over 2 million customers, the majority of whom are tourist visitors.
"After years of absence, this initative will serve as a springboard for Air Malta to re-enter the package holiday market as well as means for clients to have a better hold on personalizing their visits whilst lessening procedures that for some may seem stressful when planning a holiday'," the minister said.
The Minister added that this initiative reflects Air Malta's commitment to adopt to new technological methods which cater well for new trends in the touristic market. "This is just one of a series of several initatives to be announced by Air Malta to generate new streams of revenue. This new system will serve as a one-stop-shop for travel agents and visitors which will seek to cater for everyone's needs throughout their stay in the Maltese islands," said Minister Schembri.
The Chairman of Air Malta Charles Mangion expressed the airline's commitment to continue facilitating travel through investments in IT and improvements in customer experience.
"Every year, over 2 million customers choose to fly with Air Malta, 20% of whom are Maltese. Through this new system we are partnering with local travel agents and giving them the opportunity to also sell Air Malta's package holidays," Mangion said.
Air Malta's Chief Executive Clifford Chetcuti said that travel customers have come to expect a seamless digital experience common in other industries. 'Researching travel arrangements can be complicated, time-consuming, and owned by different players. By embarking on a digital transformation process across various sectors, Air Malta is facilitating the travel booking process. This new system will offer a new shopping experience to our business to business partners, the travel agents', added Clifford Chetcuti.
Chief Commercial Officer Paul Sies explained that the site "will offer packages at great value for money, cheaper than buying flights and accomodation seperately. "
Air Malta Holidays offers a one-stop-shop combining Air Malta flights, hotels in Malta and abroad, and airport transfers. As from yesterday, local travel agents can start selling these value-for-money packages to their customers through the portal www.airmaltaholidays.com