Air Malta has unveiled a scheme that guarantees flights will be operated “even with one person onboard”, Economy Minister Silvio Schembri has announced. 

Unveiling the scheme during the winter schedule roll-out, Schembri said this would give people peace of mind when travelling with Air Malta and, as long as the law permits, flights will be operated even if there are a lot of cancellations. 

“This will ensure the operation of the network guaranteeing Air Malta flights no matter the situation on the ground,” he said. 

The scheme will be available for some 50% of the flights being operated. 

According to Schembri, there will be flights to 21 destinations in the coming months, with some 156 flights per week operated. This, however, is still 45% less than the previous winter. 

Asked why the airline had opted to include destinations where quarantine after travel from Malta is still mandatory, Schembri said decisions cannot be based solely on “the current situation”. 

“The situation is very fluid and we need to think about the future,” he said. 

Malta had banned flights in March after the first COVID-19 cases were detected and only reopened in July. Despite this, the number of people flying to the country has continued to dwindle in recent weeks, especially as more restrictions are imposed with a spike in cases.