Transport Ministry aims to expand the aviation register by a further 60 aircraft by the end of the year, Transport Minister Ian Borg said on Friday.

The Transport Minister was speaking at the Transport Malta offices in Lija, where he announced that the Ministry had achieved its 2019 targets, by registering 400 aircraft before the end of the year.

Alongside Borg was Joseph Bugeja, chairman of Transport Malta and Ignacio Pascual from charter airline Galistair, with its Air Operator Certificate.

Last year, the Transport Ministry aimed to expand the aviation register by a further 85 aircraft by the end of last year. At the time Malta had 315 registered aircraft, and authorities were seeking to have 400 before the beginning of the new decade. He explained that the increase in numbers has played a vital role in the growth of aviation in Malta.

“We are planning to introduce another 60 aircrafts, so that we will have 460 registered aircraft and we already have applicants showing interest in applying,” said Borg.

“Aviation is an important part of Transport Malta, and we are constantly developing new plans to contribute to the growth of the sector,” explained Borg.

He made an appeal to those aviation students and workforce to continue their work, and to push for others to be interested in an aviation career. He also acknowledged that the sector grew in such a manner due to foreign workers contributing to the sector. “We will continue our focus on the growth of the aviation sector, not just for the economy but also the importance of air and water transportation is for the island.”