MIA rebuts claims it is protecting Air Malta

Malta International Airport yesterday rebutted claims it was protecting Air Malta or that it had an "ongoing clash" with Ryanair.

MIA said it had recently sent an invitation to all airlines wishing to fly to Malta from Madrid, Barcelona, Girona and Lisbon, which a study has determined as being an under-served area for Malta.

This enables the airport to offer discounts on landing fees and passenger service charges and it is now up to the airlines to take up the challenge, the MIA said.

MIA was reacting to comments by the president of the hospitality division of the Chamber of Small and Medium Enterprises - GRTU, Philip Fenech who on Wednesday pledged full support for the introduction of low-cost airlines.

MIA said that while it did not consider itself competent to respond to allegations about measures imposed by the government, it insisted it was doing more than its fair share to reach a plausible and equitable solution on the matter.

On Tuesday, Ryanair chief operating office Michael Cawley branded the Maltese air authorities' "protective" policies a "joke".

But MIA hit back saying that if it had been successful in generating Lm3.1 million in profits, this was clearly the result of the consolidation of a professionally-designed and far-sighted business plan that at the outset included a strategy to attract new airlines.

Last year, MIA attracted six new airlines to operate here. Moreover, established airlines enhanced their operations - Lufthansa resumed its operation from Munich and British Airways launched its new route from Manchester.

Among the airlines regularly operating to Malta, 20 are considered to be low-fare airlines that have complied with MIA's standard requirements.

The profits generated by MIA primarily resulted from the six per cent increase in passengers.

During the last financial year, MIA contributed about Lm5 million to the economy, the MIA said.