Easy does it for Malta

Low-cost airline Easyjet has committed its service to Malta for the next five years, starting from April.

The Luton-based airline will be flying 10 times per week from Gatwick to Malta and daily from Manchester during the summer months. During the shoulder months, it will service Gatwick daily and Manchester airport four times a week.

"This is a considerable breakthrough and it's excellent news for the UK tourism market," Tourism Minister Francis Zammit Dimech told The Sunday Times.

Though it is a budget airline, no subsidies will be provided to Easyjet since it has assumed the slots previously operated by GB Airways.

Easyjet is one of the largest low-fare airlines in Europe, operating domestic and international scheduled services on 387 routes between 104 European and North African airports.

Three other new low-cost airlines will be operating to Malta from next month, amid ambitious targets of a four to five per cent increase in arrivals over a record 2007.

British Airways will also be operating between Malta and London from next month, signalling a 10 per cent increase in seat capacity on the all-important UK route.

Spanish budget airline Vueling will be servicing the Madrid to Malta route three times a week; Italian airline Volare four times weekly; and airline Norwegian.no will be flying from Malta to Oslo three times a week.

Malta last year registered a 10.9 per cent growth in tourist arrivals, more than double the rate in the EU. Malta's results were also significantly higher than the world tourism growth rate of 6.2 per cent.

"We're not resting on our laurels. We want to get more low-cost routes and strengthen the relations with legacy airlines," Dr Zammit Dimech said.