Discussions are under way between the Malta Tourism Authority and Spanish budget airline Vueling, among others, to open up new low-cost routes to Spain and France.
“At the moment we are in a with the airline,” MTA chairman Sam Mifsud said. “We hope to reach an agreement in around a month’s time.”
However, Sam Mifsud would not confirm whether the routes under discussion include Madrid and Paris, as has been suggested in the media. “We are looking at various French and Spanish destinations,” he said, adding that Ryanair is expected to open routes to Valencia and Girona in October.
Interest in Vueling, one of Spain’s more successful budget airlines, has been fuelled in no small part by this summer’s experience with Clickair, which has helped to considerably boost the incoming Spanish tourism market. According to Mifsud, the Spanish market was this summer’s most successful sector after France and Italy.