22-Jul-2011 11:34 AM
‘We need Air Malta to have a future’: airport
Malta International Airport's CEO Julian Jaeger said that it is prepared to reduce airport charges to Air Malta, but added it cannot discriminate against other airlines (Times of Malta, 12-Jul-2011). Mr Jaeger insisted that MIA charges are in line with the European average. "We need Air Malta to have a future," he said, but an airline could not be saved just by cutting its local airport tariffs. The CEO expects the airport to handle 3.4 million passengers in 2011, a 3.2% year-on-year increase. Air Malta's passenger numbers were up 2% in 1HY2011. Ryanair's numbers increased 35% in the same period and easyJet's increased 32%. Malta International's traffic was up 13%, a good result in light of the Libyan crisis, Mr Jaeger said.