After 50 years of flying to over 16 destinations, Air Malta’s last flight, KM 103, will depart from London Heathrow at 8.30pm on Saturday and will land, for the last time, in Malta at 12.40 am on Sunday morning.

For years, thousands of passengers have flown with the national airline and have seen the airline evolve with the times.

One passenger has not only seen these changes but, since the age of seven, Francis Dingli has been collecting Air Malta memorabilia. What started as just a handful of Air Malta coasters and matchboxes grew into a mammoth collection.

Walking into Dingli’s room in his home in Birżebbuġa feels like entering an Air Malta museum.

One wall is covered in photographs of different Air Malta aircraft, from Boeing 720s to Airbus A319s and A320s. Raised in a family of photographers, some of the photos are Dingli’s while others are photos he bought or printed off the internet.

Another wall is taken up by a display of items displaying the heritage of the national airline.  Carrier bags, stewardess hats, ceramic plates with the old Air Malta trademark on them, playing cards, postcards and aircraft models are neatly displayed on glass shelves.

Large boxes filled with inflight magazines are placed at both the top and the bottom of the display cabinet. A table at the far end of the room is covered in large albums filled with Air Malta postcards, photographs of the crew and board passes – some of which are Dingli’s.

“I always fly Air Malta, all my life,” he said, adding even if the flight cost hundreds of euros, he would still book it.

How many items does he have?

“I have over a thousand Air Malta items, which I collected over the past 50 years,” Dingli told Times of Malta.

His most “precious” item is a boarding card sticker sheet dating back to 1974, when Air Malta was set up. The stickers were placed on boarding cards to show where passengers had to sit.

“This cost me over €200,” he adds, unfolding the sheet to show off the stickers.

Yet, this was not his first collector’s item.

The idea behind collecting Air Malta items was after his family migrated to the UK when Dingli was just four and where he lived for 43 years.

“The fact that I was Maltese living in England meant that I had to keep a chain that could never be broken and that reminded me that I am Maltese,” he said.

“My collection began with a set of moral values that recognise that I am Maltese. To love Jesus, to love one’s country and one’s people. I needed to keep the heritage of my country, Malta.”

His collection began in 1975 when Dingli would keep small items that could be taken off an Air Malta flight, like a paper coaster or bag.

The extensive collection includes models of Air Malta aircraft used throughout the years.

Later, he would attend air enthusiast fairs held at UK airports, where people would sell and collect airline items.

“There were people who had a lot of Air Malta stuff and I bought it from them. I bought every single Air Malta item at those fairs.”

“The collection grew and grew,” he said, adding that he would attend aircraft shows and be invited to Air Malta parties.

Just as difficult as it is for Dingli to count how many items he possesses, it is just as difficult to estimate how much it all cost him.

“Close to hundreds or thousands of euros but money doesn’t mean anything,” he said.

“All this means is heritage, love and care for one’s country.”

To say Dingli was heartbroken at the news that Air Malta is to be replaced by another airline is an understatement.

“I feel that a part of me in this room has died. How much do we care about the heritage that Air Malta has given us? This is 50 years’ worth of work. This is something that is very close to my heart. It is a heritage I never want to lose because, if I lose it, I feel Malta is dead to me.”

One wall is covered in pictures of Air Malta aircraft.

He said he will never stop collecting Air Malta items, simply because for him Malta is everything.

With the airline’s permission, Dingli used to photograph Air Malta planes landing in the UK, as well as the crew.

“I used to give them the photos and I used to ask them for their address so that I could send them a Christmas and birthday card,” he added.

He says the captains and crew members he met throughout the years are his “favourite” thing about Air Malta.

“Throughout the years, I struck up a great friendship with many captains, first officers and stewardesses and they showed me a lot of love and respect. May God bless them all.”

Dingli said if he was ever asked by the airline to have his collection displayed he would be “honoured”.