Ryanair to operate four new routes from Malta in summer 2026

Ryanair will operate four new routes from Malta in the coming summer, including Tirana in Albania.

The other new services are to Palma in the Spanish island of Mallorca, Newcastle in the UK and Gothenburg in Sweden. The airline already has Gothenburg on its winter schedule.

The airline's CEO, Michael O'Leary, said there will also be increased service frequencies to 40 other popular routes including Milan, Vienna, London, Krakow, Zagreb, Madrid, Dublin and Bratislava.

More frequent flights is good news for Malta's emphasis on bringing in high spending tourists, he said.

"Those coming for weekend getaways on average spend more - they want to get out of their hotels see the sites and eat at restaurants."  

The four new routes will bring to 70 the number of routes the budget airline flies from Malta. It said it will maintain its ninth aircraft based in Malta for winter into its summer schedule, with an investment of $900 million (€755 million).

Summer 2026 will be Ryanair's "biggest and best summer schedule" and will see 20 per cent passenger growth.

"Last year we had some five million passengers use Ryanair for Malta. This year we are expecting six million," O'Leary said.

That number represents a significantly larger market share than Ryanair's nearest competitor, KM Malta Airlines, which is expected to carry some 1.6 million in the summer season. 

He said the airline supports over 4,700 local jobs, including 30 new high-paid jobs for Ryanair pilots and cabin crew. 

it said it continues to "reinforce its long-term commitment to Malta", with recent investments in a state-of-the-art hangar maintenance facility and the doubling of Malta Air’s new 700 sqm head office in Pieta.

Ryanair has launched a seat sale to celebrate its announcement.