The easing of travel-related COVID-19 measures - namely the removal of the passenger locator form and wearing of masks - are "two important steps" towards resuming unrestricted travel to Malta, the Malta International Airport said. 

The government announced last week that from Monday, masks will no longer be mandatory in indoor public places and the passenger locator form, used at EU level for contact tracing, will no longer be needed for travel to Malta. 

Now that mask-wearing is no longer obligatory inside the terminal, we look forward to seeing more of our guests’ emotions as they experience the excitement of travel- Alan Borg, airport CEO

The easing of measures also come just weeks after the government reviewed entry requirements to also allow those with a negative swab result or a recovery certificate to travel to the island without having to quarantine. 

"We believe that these requirements, although not cumbersome enough to deter a would-be traveller from visiting the islands, were impinging negatively on the whole travel experience for our guests," airport CEO Alan Borg said on Wednesday. 

In recent months, the CEO was vocal about the need to ease restrictions so that Malta can start recovering from the impact of the pandemic.

Borg has repeatedly called on the authorities to ensure Malta's rules are in line with the rest of Europe, saying that the stringent measures were hindering recovery. 

"Now that mask-wearing is no longer obligatory inside the terminal, we look forward to seeing more of our guests’ emotions as they experience the excitement of travel," the CEO said. 

Although the legal notice detailing the changes has yet to be published, Health Minister Chris Fearne has said that masks will only be mandatory in hospitals, care homes and on flights when travelling by air. 

It remains unclear when the new law will be made public.