KM Malta Airlines offers €90 return flights for Maltese voters abroad

Maltese expats who are listed on the electoral register will once again be able to fly to Malta on a subsidised rate as KM Malta Airlines launched special election fares and extra flights.

In a statement on Thursday, KM Malta Airlines said bookings for the special election flights will open on May 4 and close on May 30.

The special election fare will be €90 return, including all taxes and charges, in Economy Plus which includes a small bag, 10kg cabin bag and 20kg checked bag.

Infants who have not reached their second birthday may travel for a fee of €9, taxes and charges included, provided they do not occupy a seat.

Reservations can only be made through the dedicated KM Malta Airlines General Election Call Centre number +356 2141 8118 from Monday to Sunday between 8am and 8pm.

Bookings are subject to availability.

The special election fares are only open to those whose name appears on the Electoral Register published by the Electoral Commission. Their direct dependents including a spouse, a child or a step child under 18 years of age, can also be booked on the special fare.

Travel will be permitted from May 20 to June 3, with the first inbound date into Malta being May 20 and the last possible inbound being May 30, the day of the election. Passengers can depart Malta any time from May 23 to June 3.

Travel will be permitted on scheduled KM Malta Airlines operated flights only and all travel must take place into and out of the same city.

Tickets will be non-refundable and no change in travel dates is permitted.

However, any eligible voters who qualify for the special fares and who have already made an alternative booking with KM Malta Airlines for travel between May 20 and June 3, may opt for a full refund of their existing ticket or to change their tickets to different dates of travel at no charge, subject to the payment of any difference in fare.

Some Maltese people living abroad have long requested voting to be made possible through embassies or consular offices or even by post. Last year, the Nationalist Party had said it agreed with the idea of voting to be held in embassies, however it said this could only happen after a reform of how the Electoral Commission is appointed to ensure it is “truly independent and autonomous from the government of the day”.

European Parliament president Roberta Metsola had called for a national discussion to be held with the idea of launching a pilot project to enable Maltese people living abroad to vote at Maltese embassies.

"We have not even started that discussion yet," Metsola had said.

Maltese MEPs had previously slammed the system as “archaic and wasteful of public funds” and acknowledged that flying hundreds of voters at taxpayers’ expense is not the best solution.

Extra flights

KM Malta Airlines will also be operating extra flights to Brussels and London Gatwick on the following dates:

• Sunday 31st May: Malta / London Gatwick / Malta (pm)

• Monday 1st June: Malta / London Gatwick / Malta (pm)

• Tuesday 2nd June: Malta / London Gatwick / Malta (pm)

 • Monday 1st June: Malta / Brussels / Malta (am)

• Tuesday 2nd June: Malta / Brussels / Malta (am)