MaltaMedia.com

Following last year’s initiative of giving a 100% refund to all scheduled airlines on all their landing fees last winter, Malta International Airport plc will once again waive landing fees for the coming winter season with the aim to further stimulate traffic during the shoulder/winter months.

This initiative forms part of Malta Airport’s Incentive Programme for airlines which has just been updated. The first Airline Incentive Scheme – launched back in 2007 – was aimed to attract airlines interested to start off their operations to Malta or looking at increasing their presence on the Maltese Islands. The Scheme targeted markets which back then were considered strategic, like the Iberian peninsula, Scandinavia and Eastern Europe.

The updated programme includes these strategic objectives together with new incentives such as the waiving of the night surcharge all year round as well as free aircraft parking for scheduled passenger flights which is also valid all year round. All these initiatives help to alleviate the airlines’ fixed costs when flying to and from Malta Airport. Another initiative included in the Incentive Programme is that aimed at increasing non-EU traffic.

Commenting on the decision to continue investing heavily in these initiatives for airlines, Malta Airport CEO Markus Klaushofer insisted that the airport has always been at the forefront in ensuring that Malta is attractive for airlines to operate from. “Together with the other stakeholders in the local tourism and travel industry, we are committed to give our share in ensuring our support to an industry which is as volatile as it is crucial for these islands. This Incentive Programme is an investment by the Company to continue supporting the local tourism industry and the Maltese economy in general,” concluded Mr Klaushofer.