Ryanair is set to launch a new airline in Malta, reveals The Irish Times. The carrier is believed to be in advanced talks with the government in Malta over the launch of an airline called Malta Air. The deal, expected to be announced soon, would see Malta Air initially operate with six aircraft before expanding to 12. Ryanair currently operates six aircraft in Malta under its own brand, and was previously said to have shown interest in taking over the national flag carrier, Air Malta||Tomas Chlumecky; International Airline Executive & Advisor (“Aviation Doctor”)

Low-cost travel giant Ryanair is setting up a new airline to be based in Malta, named Malta Air, is this the beginning of the end for Air Malta? Industry sources said the Irish carrier’s holding company is in the process of setting up a new airline that will incorporate the 61 Ryanair routes to and from the island, effectively replacing it.

 

Ryanair has also committed, during negotiations with the government, to the generation of several other new routes and will be doubling its fleet in Malta to 10 planes, with plans to grow even further in the near future. These planes, and a number of others in the Ryanair fleet, will be registered on the Maltese aviation register.

The low-cost market leader will also be setting up hangar facilities for repair and maintenance operations in Malta. The contract signing is described as “imminent”. Talks between Ryanair’s David O’Brien and Tourism Minister Konrad Mizzi have been ongoing for several months. The new headquarters of Malta Air, as the company will be called, will employ about 350 people within the next three years, one senior government official said.