Malta connections to Madrid three times a week

Spanish low-cost airline Vueling plans to fly to Madrid three times a week, carrying some 45,000 passengers. The inaugural flight took place on the 31st March.

This is an important development for the tourism industry as Spain is now being considered as one of Malta’s core markets. Malta Tourism Authority chairman Sam Mifsud said this during a press conference held on the 15th of April at the Malta International Airport. He also stated that the MTA has been concentrating on this market for the past 14 months, investing heavily in advertising especially in the Madrid area.

“Spain should be bringing us the same number of tourists as the major countries like Italy and France,” he said.

He said the fact the Vueling will be flying to Malta three times a week means it is geared towards the short break market.

Mr Alfons Claver international sales and marketing director for Vueling, reported a significant demand for flights to Malta, describing the Islands as an emerging destination for those wanting to learn English, for cultural tourism, as well as for congresses. Last year some 38,000 Spaniards visited Malta, mainly for leisure for leisure purposes.

Malta International Airport chief executive officer Julian Jaeger, expressed his confidence in the route saying that last year saw a 74 per cent increase in passengers flying to Spain, adding that around 20,000 had travelled to the country in the first quarter of this year.

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