Swedish Pop Idol Kevin Borg on maiden flight of SAS' Stockholm-Malta route Image: visitmalta.com | Jurgen Scicluna

SAS inaugurates Stokholm - Malta route

Swedish Pop Idol Kevin Borg on maiden flight

In a news conference held at the Malta International Airport, the Parliamentary Secretary for Tourism, the Hon. Dr Mario de Marco; Malta Tourism Authority CEO, Mr Josef Formosa Gauci, and Malta International Airport CEO, Mr Julian Jaeger; welcomed the inaugural flight by SAS from Stockholm, which had Swedish Pop Idol winner Kevin Borg and SAS Vice President Communications, Mr Andris Zvejnieks on board.

When addressing the news conference, Dr de Marco said that for, “an island destination such as Malta, air accessibility is everything. Through the government’s and MTA’s effort this summer (April-November), our flight capacity to Malta is now the same as last year’s which is no mean feat given the current economic trends. SAS are to be thanked for their foresight since they confirmed the route at a time when many airlines were slashing routes, with 83, 000 less flights available in Europe and 43 million less seats across the world.”

Mr Andris Zvejnieks, in a brief speech thanked the MIA, MTA and Kevin Borg for the warm welcome accorded to the inaugural flight, which landed at 1000hrs. SAS will be flying twice a week on Thursday and Sunday with the times being ideal for a long weekend in Malta or Stockholm. He stated that the “co-operation with the MTA and MIA to open this route was the kind required at this point in time”. Mr Zvejnieks said, that Malta’s mild climate, rich culture and multitude of things to do, make it attractive to the Swedish market. “This new flight allows SAS to strengthen its presence on the Mediterranean market”. He also pointed out that Stockholm would make a cool destination for the Maltese to visit.

Mr Josef Formosa Gauci, in his address pointed out that, “the MTA is working relentlessly on three main tasks: Accessibility, Marketing and Product. This SAS inaugural flight is another step towards achieving our objectives”. Kevin Borg’s presence at the launch is another marketing strategy being used to keep Malta in the front pages and the news, as his popularity in Sweden, has garnered much PR for Malta, and his willingness to co-operate with the MTA in promoting Malta will be instrumental in the coming months. Mr Borg said he was very happy to be back in Malta and to receive the warm welcome. He thanked all present for the opportunity to be part of the launch of this flight.

Present on the flight were also members of the Swedish press and TV stations, together with representatives from Sony Music.