| Malta International Airport | |
| Iata: | MLA |
| Icao: | LMML |
| Type: | Public |
| Owner: | Malta International Airport plc |
| City-Served: | Valletta |
| Location: | Luqa, Malta |
| Hub: | |
| Elevation-F: | 300 |
| Elevation-M: | 91 |
| Coordinates: | 35.8575°N 14.4775°W |
| Pushpin Map: | Malta |
| Pushpin Mapsize: | 250 |
| Pushpin Label: | MLA/LMML |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location on a map of Malta |
| Metric-Rwy: | y |
| R1-Number: | 05/23 |
| R1-Length-M: | 2,377 |
| R1-Length-F: | 7,799 |
| R1-Surface: | Asphalt/concrete |
| R2-Number: | 13/31 |
| R2-Length-M: | 3,544 |
| R2-Length-F: | 11,627 |
| R2-Surface: | Asphalt/concrete |
| Stat1-Header: | Passengers |
| Stat1-Data: | 7,800,000 |
| Stat-Year: | 2023 [1] |
| Stat2-Header: | Passenger change 22-23 |
| Stat2-Data: | 33.4% |
| Stat3-Header: | Aircraft movements |
| Stat3-Data: | 51,353 |
| Stat4-Header: | Movements change 21-22 |
| Stat4-Data: | 60% |
| Stat5-Header: | Cargo (kilos) |
| Stat5-Data: | 20,645,000 |
| Stat6-Header: | Cargo change 22-23 |
| Stat6-Data: | 17.6% |
Malta International Airport is the only airport in Malta, and it serves the whole of the Maltese Islands. It is located on the island of Malta, southwest of the Maltese capital, Valletta, in the town of Luqa, and occupies the location of the former RAF Luqa. The airport serves as the main hub for KM Malta Airlines and Medavia besides being an operating base for Ryanair and its subsidiary Malta Air. It is also home to the Area Control Center and hosts the annual Malta Airshow. The airport is operated by Malta International Airport plc.
In the past, it was the hub of Air Malta, now replaced by KM Malta Airlines since March 2024.
The first civil airfield was constructed at Ta' Qali, followed by others at Ħal Far (RAF Hal Far) and Luqa. During the Second World War, the airfields at Ta' Qali and Ħal Far were severely battered and civil operations subsequently centred on Luqa Airport.[2]
The increase in passenger handling and aircraft movements necessitated the construction of a civil air terminal. Preparations started in 1956, and the British Government mainly financed what was then a £300,000 project. Malta's new passenger air terminal at Luqa was inaugurated on 31 March 1958 by then Governor of Malta Sir Robert Laycock. The air terminal consisted of two floors including some basic facilities such as a restaurant, a post office, a cable and wireless office and a viewing balcony for the public.
In October 1977, a new and longer runway was launched and works commenced on the extension and refurbishment of the air terminal.[2] An arrivals lounge and another lounge dedicated to VIPs were added and the original part of the terminal building was used for departures.
This refurbishment was not enough as it still lacked certain essential facilities. Immediately after a change in government in 1987, the new administration decided that the 35-year-old terminal was past its time (Luqa Terminal) and therefore gave the green light for the construction of a new air terminal along Park 9 (now located in Gudja).[3]
Until the construction of the new air terminal was completed, the Government embarked on a further upgrade of the old air terminal. The facilities introduced included air conditioning, new baggage carousels, flight information monitors, computerised check-in desks, a new floor surface and new retail outlets including a larger duty-free area.
The foundation stone of the present air terminal in Gudja was laid in September 1989 and it was inaugurated in record time 29 months later, in February 1992. Malta International Airport became fully operational on 25 March 1992, and the old Luqa passenger terminal was effectively closed down after 35 years.[4] In November 1995, Balkan Bulgarian Airlines introduced a flight from Sofia to New York City that stopped in Malta. The service on Boeing 767s resulted from a partnership between Balkan and Air Malta.[5] [6] [7]
Its passenger numbers have increased from 3.5 million in 2011 to 6 million in 2017.[8] The increase in passenger numbers is mainly due to the increased number of routes served by low-cost carriers. Ryanair based one aircraft in Malta from May 2010, increasing to two in May 2012, three in March 2016, four in March 2017, five in March 2018 and further to six in April 2019.[9] The largest aircraft visiting Malta International Airport regularly is the daily Emirates Boeing 777-300. The airport has received occasional visits by the Airbus A380, usually for repainting at one of the local maintenance facilities.[10]
The airport has a single passenger terminal which became fully operational on 25 March 1992. This replaced the old Luqa terminal which is by 2020 mostly used for cargo. Malta International Airport air terminal operations include general passenger services, and the operation of an extensive range of retail services at the airport, airside and landside shops, restaurants, and other outlets, which are all operated on concession agreements. The airport offers one VIP lounge, the La Valette Club.[11] The airport also hosts several maintenance facilities including those operated by Lufthansa Technik and SR Technics.
The head office of Medavia is on the airport property.[12]
Located within the grounds of Malta International Airport, the Business Centre is the first building in Malta to have applied for BREEAM (BRE Environmental Assessment Method) to become the island's first Grade A office park. The head office of Air Malta is at Level 2 of the Skyparks Business Centre.[13]
The Malta Airport MetOffice[14] is part of the Malta International Airport and provides the function of a national meteorological service for Malta. Although they primarily serve aviation they also service the public sector.[15] All equipment, other than the Doppler Weather Radar, is enhanced by automatic weather stations, of which eight are situated in Malta and Gozo. At the same time an aerodrome weather observation system is located at the airport. The MetOffice is able to get information from the Agencia Estatal de Meteorología in Madrid and the UK's Met Office along with numerical weather models such as those provided by the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts in Reading, England.[16]
The Air Wing of the Armed Forces of Malta is based at Malta International Airport. The Air Wing terminal consists of six hangars. The Air Wing operates a total of four fixed-wing aircraft, six helicopters[17] and a UAV.[18]
The following airlines operate regular scheduled and charter flights to and from Malta:[19]
| Rank | Country | Passenger Movements | % Change (vs 2021) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1,321,371 | 169.65 | ||
| 2 | 1,059,286 | 120.24 | ||
| 3 | 567,855 | 137.05 | ||
| 4 | 557,736 | 80.51 | ||
| 5 | 278,595 | 115.74 | ||
| 6 | 215,000 | 125.20 | ||
| 7 | 149,466 | 87.25 | ||
| 8 | 149,415 | 79.24 | ||
| 9 | 139,733 | 107.08 | ||
| 10 | 133,400 | 95.50 |
| Rank | Airline | Passengers | % Change (vs 2015) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1,731,881 | 41.30 | ||
| 2 | 1,600,408 | 7.47 | ||
| 3 | 279,266 | 15.75 | ||
| 4 | 230,965 | 7.21 | ||
| 5 | 177,420 | 17.33 | ||
| 6 | 132,521 | 11.98 | ||
| 7 | 111,504 | 24.91 | ||
| 8 | 88,329 | 3.45 | ||
| 9 | 80,024 | 0.97 | ||
| 10 | 73,131 | 8.28 |
Malta International Airport is served also by several buses operated by private transportation groups and public transport operated by Malta Public Transport.Malta Public Transport buses serve the airport. A mixture of Express and local services are available.[20]
The airport is located 5km (03miles) southwest of the capital, Valletta.