Ryanair, Europe’s leading low fares airline, responded to comments from an unnamed source in Air Malta which denied that its fare is 150 per cent more expensive than Ryanair.

Significantly, however, the Maltese carrier did not disclose its average fare, unlike Ryanair, which is proud to guarantee the lowest fares on every route it flies, Ryanair said in a statement.

Ryanair challenged Air Malta to disclose its average fare and furthermore to publish its punctuality, lost bags and cancellation statistics and show exactly how much more expensive it is than Ryanair’s average fare of e44.

Challenging Air Malta, Ryanair’s Deputy Chief Executive, Michael Cawley, said “Air Malta has been ripping off Maltese consumers for years and it has only lowered its fares in the last two years because Ryanair has forced it to do so. We now challenge Air Malta to publish its average fare so that the Maltese consumer and those travelling to Malta can know for the first time how much more they are paying when they travel with Air Malta. With Ryanair they get the lowest fares and the best on-time service with the least amount of lost bags and the least cancellations.

“We also challenge Air Malta to publish its punctuality, lost bag and cancellation statistics so that all consumers can judge for themselves which is the best airline in terms of lowest fares and best service. We are proud to do so in Ryanair because we know that our fares are the lowest and our service is the best in Europe. We are now challenging Air Malta to publish and let the public know the truth about their high fares and poor service”.