British Airways, the UK’s national carrier, and nation’s largest airline based on fleet size, international flights and international destinations, is planning to launch a new direct flight to Malta, offering British holidaymakers the option of a new summer holiday destination.
The daily service from London Gatwick to Malta’s Luqa International Airport will start from March 30, 2014, ahead of the peak summer holiday season. Hand-baggage only tickets in economy Euro Traveller will start from £55 one-way, including all taxes and charges. Seats in Euro Traveller for customers who chose to take a bag, including all taxes and charges, start at £67 one-way, and in Club Europe (business class) one-way fares start at £274.
The new Malta route will be served by a combination of Boeing 737 and Airbus 319/320 aircraft.
Peter Simpson, British Airways’ director at Gatwick, said: ‘We are delighted to be launching this new route to Malta for Summer 2014 allowing us to return to the island, which we last served in 2009. We believe the convenient timings for the services will make the route attractive to tourists as well as those visiting friends and relatives.
‘Expanding our leisure route network at Gatwick is fantastic news for British Airways customers, offering them even greater choice, along with our range of highly competitive fares, generous hand baggage allowances and great onboard service.’
Malta’s tourism minister, Karmenu Vella, welcomed the announcement by British Airways, saying that it was a vote of confidence in the islands.
‘This announcement is a vote of confidence in our islands by one of the world’s leading flag carriers,’ he said. This will further strengthen our links with both London and beyond and should be a big help to both the leisure and the conference sectors, he added.
British Airways, which introduced its first long-haul flight to Los Angeles last week, said that it would make further additions to its holiday flights during summer 2014, with services from Gatwick to Salzburg, Naples, Dubrovnik, Marrakech and Catania.
