Air Malta has launched its new winter schedule of operations running till 28 March, 2009. The schedule presents Air Malta customers travelling from the Malta base with a choice of 30 direct destinations with over 110 flights every week.
“This season will be yet another interesting one for Air Malta and its customers. This winter, we are aiming at a growth in passenger figures of 30,000 – an increase of six per cent over last winter’s record season; during which we had managed to increase passenger arrivals by 12 per cent over winter 2006/07. Although this is an ambitious target considering the global slowdown in economic activity, we are cautiously optimistic that we can achieve good passengers figures also this season,” said Dr Brock Friesen, Air Malta’s chief officer commercial. This season, for the first time, the airline will be operating to the German city of Leipzig in winter and has increased seat capacity on Milan by 15 per cent.
Apart from its direct flights, the Maltese airline is also offering other destinations and connections through its main code-share partners, Lufthansa and Air One. Code-shares are a key initiative that the airline has taken and are increasingly connecting Malta to offline markets. Through its code-share partners Air Malta is now offering over 200 destinations in 85 countries and is synchronising its timetable with other carriers.
The agreement with Air One signed in August 2007, with whom Air Malta code-shares on Rome Fiumicino, is giving Maltese passengers access to various Italian domestic airports including Alghero, Bari, Brindisi, Cagliari, Genoa, Milan Linate, Turin and Venice, via Rome. On the other hand the code-share agreement signed with Lufthansa in November 2006 allows both carriers to offer two daily non-stop flights to Frankfurt and a daily flight to Munich with connectivity to all German regional airports and offline European, American and Asian airports.
The code-share agreement with Lufthansa, which initially was solely operative on the direct Malta-Frankfurt and Malta-Munich routes, is now covering all German regional routes including Bremen, Hannover, Dresden, Berlin and Dusseldorf. It has also been extended to the Scandinavian cities of Oslo and Stockholm with positive results. Through the code-share agreement with Lufthansa there are non-stop daily services from Malta to the American capital, Washington DC Dulles Airport via Munich. All these developments are increasing extensively the accessibility to the Maltese islands from major European and International gateways.
This season’s schedule sees Air Malta operating to Alghero*, Amsterdam, Athens, Bari*, Berlin, Birmingham, Bremen*, Brindisi*, Brussels, Budapest, Cagliari*, Catania, Dresden*, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, Geneva, Genoa*, Glasgow, Hamburg, Hannover*, Istanbul, Larnaca*, Leipzig, London-Gatwick, London-Heathrow, London- Stansted, Manchester, Milan, Moscow, Munich, Naples*, New York*, Oslo*, Paris, Reggio Calabria, Rome, Sofia, Stockholm*, Tripoli, Tunis, Vienna and Zurich.
Air Malta has also launched the Winter 2008/9 edition of Flyaway Tours, with attractive, flexible vacations and travel opportunities at great prices. Whether it is for a business trip or a leisurely city break, prices are very competitive and affordable and Flyaway Tours can offer a choice of attractive opportunities.
This winter’s brochure is also featuring the possibility to book Portsmouth FC’s home matches in the English Premier League. With the agreement reached between the English Premier Club and Air Malta, Flyaway Tours are giving the opportunity to the Maltese public and are offering match tickets, hotel accommodation and flights in one complete holiday package.
A copy of the Winter Timetable and Flyaway Tours brochure can be obtained from Air Malta sales office at Malta International Airport and in Victoria or any travel agent. The latest additions and changes in this winter schedule and Flyaway Tours can also be viewed at the online timetable on www.airmalta.com.
* – code-shared flights