Helmut Otahal, an Air Malta passenger travelling from Vienna to Malta on KM513 recently was confirmed the airports’ 18th millionth passenger. Friedrich Lehr, Head of Aviation at Vienna International Airport and Carmen Pace, Air Malta’s country manager for Austria, treated him to a surprise reception at the departure gate prior to his flight to Malta.

Mr Otahal, an Austrian national, was greeted with champagne at the departure gate. During the short reception Mr Lehr remarked that Vienna International Airport had recorded a substantial growth above the European average.

“Between January and November, the number of passengers in Vienna increased by 10.9 per cent compared to the same period last year,” he added.

Visibly surprised Mr Otahal said he was very glad about this unexpected event. Mr Otahal added that he is an Air Malta frequent flier and works for an Austrian company which recently opened a branch office in Malta.

Ms Pace said Air Malta was very happy that one of its passengers was chosen by Vienna International Airport to celebrate this milestone.

She added that Air Malta was delighted by the Vienna route’s success as more than 35,000 passengers had used the airline’s services to Vienna in the past year. She added that Air Malta is confident that this route will continue to grow further in coming years.

The Malta-Vienna service was first launched 18 years ago by Air Malta. Vienna has always been an important destination for Air Malta as it links the Maltese Islands to Austria – a gateway to Central and Eastern Europe. The Maltese airline currently operates three weekly flights in winter and five weekly flights in summer to Austria’s capital. A daily flight to Vienna is also available via Munich, through the code-share agreement between Air Malta and Lufthansa.