Julian Jaeger, former MIA CEO and current COO of the majority shareholder.

The Austria-based company that owns the majority of shares in Malta International Airport has reversed its “consideration to pull out of Malta and has reconfirmed its presence on the island”.

Julian Jaeger, former MIA CEO and now chief operations officer of Flughafen Wieng AG, the company that also owns Vienna and Kosice (Slovakia) airports, confirmed that its share in Malta was not up for sale.

Contacted by this newspaper at his office in Vienna, Mr Jaeger admitted that until some time ago the company was considering selling its stake in Malta to compensate for financial challenges at Vienna airport.

However, he said this had now been resolved and the company was committed to Malta: “There were no actual plans to sell our stake in Malta but I can confirm that there were considerations,” Mr Jaeger said.

The problems are now completely gone and we have absolutely no intention to sell our stake in Malta

“However, the problems are now completely gone and we have absolutely no intention to sell our stake in Malta. These considerations have been shelved,” he said. The Flughafen Wien Group (FWAG) holds a combined stake of approximately 33 per cent in Malta International Airport. Of the total shares, 40 per cent are held by a consortium in which FWAG has an investment of 57.1 per cent.

The group also holds another 10.1 per cent directly, while the Maltese government holds 20 per cent. The rest of MIA’s shares are listed on the Malta Stock Exchange.

The Vienna shareholding makes FWAG the largest shareholder and, practically, the company which calls the shots at MIA.

Sudden changes at the top management of the Maltese company earlier this year fuelled rumours that the Austrians wanted to pull out of Malta’s airport.

However, Mr Jaeger yesterday underlined this was no longer on the cards: “We are very satisfied with our investment in Malta, and 2014 was a record year,” he said.

“For the time being we decided we won’t invest any more in other airports but to focus solely on our shareholding in Vienna, Malta and Kosice,” he said.

However, he declined to respond when asked to explain the sudden departure of CEO Markus Klaushofe – who unceremoniously departed last January and was replaced by Alan Borg.

“I am not an MIA official, so I cannot really comment on that,” Mr Jaeger said.

“However, I want to make it clear that we are very happy with the current management team at MIA.”

During the AGM in Vienna yesterday, shareholders were informed that MIA registered a growth rate of 6.4 per cent in passengers in 2014, with revenue reaching €64.3 million.