Traditional carrier Air Malta ceased operations on Saturday night and was replaced by KM Air Malta as Malta's flag carrier from Sunday 31 March, at the start of the summer flight calendar.
KM Malta will operate to 17 European destinations, including flights from London Heathrow and Gatwick to Malta, using a fleet of eight Airbus A320neo aircraft previously operated by Air Malta.
The Maltese government has announced plans to dissolve Air Malta and replace it with a new airline in August 2022, rather than breach EU state aid rules by continuing to support the loss-making carrier.
The decision to close the airline was later postponed, but significant cuts to its network and a reduction in flight frequencies were announced in October 2022.
The European Commission in April 2023 rejected a proposal for a €290 million injection of state aid, and in October the government confirmed plans to close Air Malta from 30 March this year, with a new airline, with renewed funding and under a new name. The next day, it will take over the operation of a network half the size of Air Malta before the pandemic.
Seats on KM Malta have been on sale from December, and passengers booked on Air Malta after March 30 are being offered refunds.
The government has said it will seek to partially privatize the airline once it becomes profitable, but intends to retain a majority stake. Meanwhile, the carrier's fleet will continue to carry Air Malta's branding and colours.
The relaunched carrier will face stiff competition from Ryanair, easyJet and Wizz Air, Ryanair being the co-owner with the Maltese government of the Air Malta subsidiary. Wizz operates to and from the Maltese Islands under the name Wizz Air Malta.
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