Malta-registered aircraft numbers take off

The number of aircraft registered in Malta has more than doubled to 315 since 2012, Ian Borg, the Minister for Transport, Infrastructure and Capital Projects, announced today. Mr Borg added that the number could exceed 400 by the end of the year, according to a press statement by the government’s Department of Information (DOI).

“Today we are here because we can continue seeing growth in the aviation sector, another pillar of the economy which contributes to 2.5% of our country’s gross domestic product,” the minister said when visiting Transport Malta’s offices where he presented SmartLynx with their Air Operator Certificate (AOC). “We want to turn the 315 aircraft to 400 this year, and the 35 AOCs to 40. This is our plan,” minister Borg stated.

The minister acknowledged the work of the Civil Aviation Directorate within Transport Malta. The authority has recently reached a number of agreements with Japan, South Korea, Ghana and the Ivory Coast. Minister Borg added that discussions are underway toward reaching agreements with South America as well as strengthening relationships with several countries in the sector, including Brazil.

“After all this is a sector that creates more than 3,200 jobs — specialised jobs — and that is also why we will continue working to see the aviation industry grow, toward more investment, toward more connectivity and toward more jobs,” the minister said.