What a breath of fresh air. Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary came to Malta to discuss the issue of offering new routes into and out of Malta on Thursday.

The CEO of the fastest growing airline in the world arrived wearing a shirt and jeans, draped in a Malta flag to tell us that he and his company were pushing for a bigger foothold in Malta.

He laughed, smiled, told jokes, and even managed to crack up Tourism Minister Francis Zammit Dimech and MIA CEO Peter Bolech. Without going into the merits of the new negotiations, it might be pertinent to point out that yes, people can be smart and successful businessmen – without being frumpy.

We should take a look at this bubbly Irishman and realise that if we do approach things in a positive frame of mind, we might actually fare better in whatever task is at hand, and enjoy ourselves while we do it.

This might perhaps be the reason why this low-cost carrier business seems to be progressing well, fitting within MIA operations seamlessly.

One must admire the spirit in which Mr O’Leary and his deputy Michael Cawley have approached the negotiations from beginning to end. They can be rude, unabashed yet very friendly and charming – typically Irish, one would say.

Both Malta and Ireland are island nations and while certain characteristics differ, we share some in common. It is obvious now, as it always has been, that Ryanair is really going to push for a base of operations in Malta. It’s ideal. One must bear in mind that Ryanair’s aircraft are all short haul and Malta would be an ideal point of transfer to tap the North African market. In addition, it is clear that Malta is not as boring a destination as we have believed. The problem has always been accessibility. Ryanair’s introduction has seen Air Malta fly into top gear- offering new promotions, special deals, offers, low-cost routes and many others, so perhaps yes, Mr O’Leary is right when he says that his airline’s arrival will help Air Malta.

But perhaps more importantly, this will help the Maltese traveller. Luton, for example, might not be right in the centre of London, and Ryanair flight times are not the best – but one can get to the UK for a fraction of the price as it used to be before.

The halving of the ticket departure tax further helps, but there is still more to go. One only has to book off the Ryanair website to see that while one pays e23 in tax to depart from the UK, one must pay over e70 to leave Malta. As mentioned, the government has halved this tax, but it needs to be removed completely. One hopes, that as Mr O’Leary has said, the EU will throw it out sometime soon.

Ryanair promises more passengers if we allow them more concessions on particular routes – now understood to be Poland, Sweden, Norway and Spain. The gains are two-fold – Maltese travellers will be able to seek out pastures new at a fraction of the cost while new potential visitors from these countries can spend their holidays here.

Low cost is the future – one carrier seems to have pulled out, the other seems to be gaining in strength by the minute. While it might be prudent to wait before even considering the setting up of a base of operations here – we should nevertheless monitor that possibility very closely to see what gains the country can make.