Irish low fares giant Ryanair is vying for the Malta-Bologna route which Italian airline Meridiana could be expected to vacate by 9 September.
The news has prompted Ryanair, which flies to seven destinations from Malta, to seek a larger share of the market with another Italian route.
A Meridiana spokesperson yesterday could not confirm or deny the airline’s immediate plans.
“I could just inform you that we are evaluating if we’ll operate or not this route in the future. But the summer balance is not really good.”
The Meridiana website yesterday would not give any available flights from Malta to Bologna after the 9 September.
But Ryanair is known to be awaiting the green light to take over the route – a factor which has industry observers worried over delays from government ministers to make sure a replacement airline is ready to fill in if Meridiana decides to move out.
With less than two weeks to go, the decision to allow Ryanair take up the route is still pending.