Flights to Malta ‘back to pre-Covid levels’

Airline connectivity to Malta is back to its pre-Covid frequency, according to the country’s tourism minister.

Speaking to Travel Weekly at WTM, Clayton Bartolo said the country worked hard to ensure connectivity to the island remained before it reopened to international tourists in August.

“Malta was the fifth least country affected within the EU with regards to connectivity issues,” said Bartolo. “And I believe that now we are back to pre-pandemic levels, where connectivity is concerned.

“We’ve also worked hard to ensure that it’s not just airlines that are coming back but also the routes.”

The country had one of the quickest vaccine rollouts in Europe and is now offering booster doses to those who are eligible. Only fully-vaccinated travellers who can show their NHS Covid green pass are able to enter the country.

“Since Malta accepts only fully-vaccinated tourists, you have people who are fully-vaccinated coming into the country with a high percentage of fully vaccinated people, so that means it’s a safe country to come to,” said Bartolo.

However, he said the impact of the pandemic has still affected Malta’s tourism industry very badly.

“In a country where tourism is a major economic pillar, we had devastating effects,” said Bartolo, adding that government support, aimed notably at the tourism sector, managed to save hundreds of thousands of jobs.