News

MHRA warmly welcomes the commencement of the Ryanair operation from Dublin as of today.   Early indications indicate that this route is going to be very popular and will further help to increase the seat capacity to Malta.

MHRA president Josef Formosa Gauci said that this was another step in the process of opening up the MalteseIslands to Low Cost Carriers in line with the growth trend of this source of business internationally. He recalled that the commencement of operations to Malta by one of the major LCC operators last October was the result of intense lobbying over a long period of time by the Association.

The MHRA feels that though a good start has been made, the process has taken far too long to conclude and the results to date are still only scratching the surface. Combined efforts need to continue to ensure that we maximize the seat capacity into Malta while ensuring that Air Malta are given the necessary support to take the decisions that need to be taken for the national airline to remain sustainable. The German market is still underserved by low cost flights while the UK market would definitely benefit from more routes in addition to the ones currently being served.   There are also other new or underserved markets that should also be opened to low cost flights as soon as possible.   The association urges Government for decisions to  be taken in the shortest possible time to attract more low cost carriers to operate to the island in the best interests of the tourism industry.