Malta International Airport plc (MIA) CEO Alan Borg has stated that a new route connecting the airport to Liverpool John Lennon Airport is set to help MIA’s UK market move closer towards pre-COVID-19 pandemic traffic levels.
On Friday, low-cost airline easyJet announced that a new route connecting Malta to Liverpool will commence this winter. Tickets for the new route will go on sale on 11th June 2024.
The new route to Liverpool will operate on Tuesdays and Sundays all-year round, with the first flights set to take off on 10th December 2024. It represents the fifth new route the airline has introduced to and from Malta in the last 12 months, having already launched routes to Bristol (UK), Amsterdam (Netherlands), Basel (Switzerland), and Nice (France).
Commenting on the addition of the Liverpool route, Mr Borg said that it will support MIA’s efforts to enhance connectivity with the UK.
The UK market is one of Malta’s biggest in terms of tourism, with it consistently coming in the top two markets for MIA. In April 2024, it experienced a growth of 23.9 per cent from the same month in 2023.
Aside from easyJet, flights to and from Liverpool John Lennon Airport are also provided by rival low-cost airline Ryanair, and will also be provided by Jet2 from April 2025.
Mr Borg remarked that easyJet’s new Liverpool route will support the UK market in edging closer to pre-pandemic traffic levels.
He also expressed his delight at having easyJet now operate a record schedule to 10 airports across Europe from Malta.
“These developments are a testament to our shared commitment to not only establish more convenient air links with the UK, but to build year-round connectivity to the Maltese Islands,” Mr Borg stated.
easyJet started flying to Malta in March 2008, and has since flown over four million customers.
On her part, Ali Gayward, UK and Malta Country Manager for easyJet, said that the airline is delighted to be announced further expansion through the new route. She remarked that it will not only enable the airline to offer more choice to customers, but “most importantly also connect Malta with the rest of Europe.”
“We have long held links with Malta and look forward to further strengthening these in the coming years, not least through the acquisition of a maintenance hangar where we will maintain our fleet of aircraft,” she continued.
Ms Gayward was referring to easyJet’s recent acquisition of a hangar in Luqa from Malta-based SR Technics. This comes after the airline acquired SR Technics, one of Malta’s largest maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) service providers. The acquisition means easyJet will have more than 100 employees in Malta.
easyJet will now undertake heavy maintenance on its fleet of more than 330 aircraft at the Malta facility. The six-bay aircraft maintenance facility has undertaken significant maintenance for the easyJet fleet of aircraft for several years.
“Our continued growth and strong relationship with the Malta Tourism Authority has enabled us to invest in helping to promote the island and highlights the popularity of the market where we will operate a third more flying this summer,” Ms Gayward affirmed.
Social image: easyJet
Featured Image:
MIA CEO Alan Borg / MIA
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