The following are the top stories in Malta's newspapers on Thursday.

Times of Malta reports that the airport is expected to reopen by mid-July although half of the island’s scheduled air routes have been wiped out because of the pandemic.

It also reports about the announcement of a €750 million  COVID-19 economic recovery EU fund, with Finance Minister Edward Scicluna warning that it could lead to unsustainable debts and spell trouble for Malta’s fight against tax harmonisation.

The Malta Independent says that beach-goers are respecting social distancing rules, according to the Malta Tourism Authority. It also reports about how almost €1 billion was expected to be offered to Malta as part of an EU recovery plan.

In-Nazzjon also reports about the €1 billion in funds for Malta’s post-COVID-19 recovery. In another story it quotes PN leader Adrian Delia saying that it was only with diligence that Malta could reap the benefits of the sacrifices made so far. 

L-orizzont quotes the Gozo Tourism Association president as saying that tourism in Gozo was picking up. It also spoke to hairdressers who said they were satisfied with the amount of work they had so far. In another story is quotes Professor Charmaine Gauci as saying that more measures will be lifted soon while the final story is about the conclusion of an inquiry into whether the prime minister, the brigadier and the crew of an Armed Forces patrol boat were responsible for the deaths of at least five migrants at sea.  

The Malta Business Weekly runs a story about how the HSBC board of directors was pressuring top executives to deepen the bank’s restructuring while another story is about the €1 billion package being offered to Malta.