Passengers travelling on the cheapest ticket with Malta’s upcoming new national airline will no longer be able to take a 10kg hand luggage onboard for free.

At present, passengers paying the lowest fare with Air Malta can take one piece of hand luggage onboard in addition to a small bag.

But those booking with the new KM Malta Airlines will only be allowed to take a small bag, such as a handbag or small rucksack, according to its website.

The changes were first announced by the airline last week and were confirmed when its website launched on Monday.   

Of the four economy fares available with the new airline, only the two higher priced options – ‘economy plus’ and ‘economy flex' – include a 10kg hand luggage item as standard.

Comparing Air Malta and KM Malta Airlines' baggage allowances. Graphic: Christian Busuttil.

Meanwhile, the two lowest-priced fares – ‘economy basic’ and ‘economy value’ – only allow a small bag in the cabin, with the latter also including a piece of checked-in 10kg baggage in the hold.

The changes have provoked criticism from passengers, with photojournalist Darrin Zammit Lupi accusing the airline on Facebook of "making a complete hash" of its economy fare hand luggage options. 

"I travel on a fairly regular basis and I've always used Air Malta whenever possible, but, so far, this new airline is begging me to take my new custom elsewhere", he said.

Reacting to media reports on the subject over the weekend, independent candidate Arnold Cassola meanwhile called the airline “bonkers” in a post on the same platform.

Business class customers have also seen changes to their baggage allowance, with now only the most expensive fare including two pieces of luggage in addition to a small bag. At present all business class passengers flying with Air Malta are allowed to take two pieces of luggage onboard.

However, on the plus side, those travelling on the highest-priced business class tickets will be able to take an additional kilogram of weight between their two pieces of hand luggage, an upgrade from the 15kg offered by Air Malta.

KM Malta Airlines was officially announced in October, when Prime Minister Robert Abela told reporters the new national carrier would take over from Air Malta on March 31.

The website for the new airline came online on Monday but by mid-morning had already attracted complaints from users, with some complaining of the site being temporarily down and others reporting a bug preventing them from searching for flights to and from Vienna.

Questions were sent to KM Malta Airlines.