Low-cost airline lays on three flights a week from Madrid

Spanish low-cost airline Vueling plans to fly some 45,000 passengers to and from Malta over the coming year.

The airline - which made its first flight from Madrid to the island on March 31 - intends to retain its present three-a-week flight schedule all year round.

Its international sales and marketing director, Alfons Claver, said there are currently no plans to start operating flights to Malta from its other three bases, Barcelona, Seville and Paris. After three years of growth, Vueling was going through a "stabilisation year" and new routes to Malta were not in the pipeline.

Malta International Airport chief executive offidcer Julian Jaeger pointed out that the airline was currently in talks about a possible merger with Clickair, the other Spanish low-cost airline which flies to Malta from Barcelona. But Mr Claver was quick to clarify that the talks were still at a "preliminary stage".

Mr Claver reported a significant demand for flights to Malta, describing the island as an emerging destination which is attractive for those wanting to learn English, for cultural tourism as well as for congresses. Last year some 38,000 Spaniards visited Malta, mainly for leisure purposes, with around 77,000 seats available to and from Spain.

Mr Jaeger expressed his confidence in the route, saying that last year saw a 74 per cent increase in passengers flying to Spain, adding that some 20,000 travelled to the country in the first quarter of this year.

Malta Tourism Authority chairman Sam Mifsud said Spain was one of the island's core markets and the authority had been concentrating on it for the past 14 months, investing heavily in advertising, especially in the Madrid area.

"Spain should be bringing us the same number of tourists as the major countries like Italy and France," he said.

He said the fact that Vueling will be flying to Malta three times a week means it is geared towards the short break market.

Vueling was set up in 2004 and carried more than 6.2 million passengers last year.