Spanish low-cost airline Vueling, which has started direct flights to Malta on 31 March, is expecting to operate all year round with approximately 45,000 passengers in the first year.

During a press conference held yesterday, Vueling director of international sales and marketing Alfons Claver said he was very enthusiastic about the initiative and said that since Malta’s accession to the EU and, more recently, the eurozone, there has been a lot of interest from Spain.

“Malta offers a good mix for tourists with its rich culture and ideal weather, making it an ideal leisure destination and an attractive place for conferences and English language students,” he said.

He explained that Vueling is one of Spain’s leading airlines – the fifth most popular airline in Madrid airport.

It had over 13 million passengers and is the first Spanish airline flying between two non-Spanish destinations: Paris and Milan.

Mr Claver also pointed out Vueling is a new generation airline that combines low fares with good service.

Passengers can check in online without worrying about commercial cancellations or overbookings, he added.

There will no scrambling for seats at the boarding gates – something typical of low-cost airlines – as passengers are able to select their seats when purchasing their flight tickets.

The company has registered very high rates of recommendations – at least 95 per cent of passengers said they would recommend Vueling, he added.

The Spanish airline flies to Madrid on Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 11pm and the return flights are on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday at 2.15am.

In 2007, around 38,000 Spaniards visited Malta – 69 per cent of these to learn English.

The airline was established in 2004 and is based in Barcelona. In 2007, it carried over 6.2 million passengers – of these 1.8 million to and from Madrid registering an increase of 140 per cent over the previous year.

Malta International Airport CEO Julian Jaeger said that the new airline is an important step towards further growth in tourism from the Spanish market.

“At MIA, we had identified the Iberian Peninsula as a destination that needed to be better served and for the past two years we have targeted this market to attract new business.”

Malta Tourism Authority chairman Sam Mifsud said that the authority is working hard to attract more low-cost airlines to Malta and had invested in advertising and marketing campaigns in Madrid.