Goodbye Air Malta, Hello KM Malta Airlines

On the 30th March 2024 Air Malta, the national airline of Malta, ceased operations and just hours later, was replaced a new airline called KM Malta Airlines.

Air Malta began operations in 1974 based in Luqa airport on Malta and grew to be the flag carrier for the island operating across Europe and North Africa.

When it ceased operartions on Saturday it had 7 aircraft in its fleet 1 Airbus A320-200 and 6 A320neos, all of which have been transfered to KM Malta Airlines.

The core reason for the ceasing of operations was to circumvent regulations after EU regulators blocked any further bailout of Air Malta with public money so by shutting down the airline, the Government of Malta was effectively able to start fresh with a new airline.

Shutting down Air Malta and starting KM Malta Airlines macks somewhat of a mockery of EU bureacracy which some may not see as a bad thing.

KM Malta Airlines will operate with the same aircraft and staff on pretty much the same route network as Air Malta using the existing slot citypairs that Air Malta used and even the same IATA code KM.

The only real difference is that callsign changes from “Air Malta” to “Sky Night” and of course, the government is clear to fund the airline.

Like Air Malta, KM Malta Airlines also has agreements in place with Air France, KLM and Lufthansa for codesharing.

This is not a sudden change though, it has been coming for some time. KM Malta Airlines was granted its Air Operators Certificate (AOC) by Maltese regulators in December last year and opened bookings up through its own website a few days later.

But it didnt operate flights until yesterday marking the official changeover between the two carriers.

KM Malta AIrlines has conmfirmed its Summer 2024 schedule which will see it fly to Amsterdam, Berlin, Brussels, Catania, Dusseldorf, London Gatwick (LGW/EGKK), London Heathrow (LHR/EGLL), Lyon, Madrid, Milan, Munich, Paris Charles de Gaulle, Paris Orly, Prague, Rome, Vienna and Zurich.