Flights to Serbia’s third-largest city will be operated by Ryanair every Monday and Friday throughout the winter season. Being one of the oldest cities in Europe, Niš is home to the remains of Constantine the Great’s Roman palace to buildings going back to a time when the Ottomans occupied the city.

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“Ryanair is pleased to announce a new Malta route to Niš in Serbia, commencing in November, which will operate twice every week, as part of our extended winter 2019 schedule. Customers in Malta can now book flights to Serbia as far out as March 2020,” said David O’Brien, Chief Commercial Officer of Ryanair.

Ryanair’s Malta winter 2019 schedule offers 61 routes in total, including 17 new winter routes to Amman (2 per week), Billund (2), Cardiff (2), Cork (2), Exeter (2), Lamezia (2), Luxembourg (2), Maastricht (2), Nantes (2), Niš (2), Oslo (weekly), Paphos (2), Perugia (2), Rome Fiumicino (daily), Santiago (2), Thessaloniki (2) and Trieste (2) which will deliver over 2.9m customers through Malta airport this year.

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Volotea will be operating a weekly service to each one of the two cities during the summer months, with the flight to Verona being offered on Tuesdays and the flight to Genoa being a mid-week one.

Despite the fact that both cities are found in the northern part of the Italian Peninsula and are only a three-hour train ride away from each other, their offering is quite different and is likely to capture the imagination of different holidaymakers, the MIA press statement says.

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The inaugural Qatar Airways flight from Doha marked the launch of daily operation for summer as part of Malta International Airport’s new schedule for the season, which features 127 routes. The flag carrier will also be extending this service into the winter months, during which it will be operating four weekly flights, the press statement adds.

“We are delighted to welcome this flag carrier to our airline family and to grow our route network further with the addition of Doha. The convenient flight schedule which will be operated by Qatar Airways throughout the year, will certainly strengthen our connections to the rest of the world and allow tourists from new markets outside Europe to discover Malta’s rich history, unique traditions, and spectacular underwater world,” said Malta International Airport CEO Alan Borg.

“This new airline will continue to enhance connectivity to Malta and strengthen our country’s potential to achieve further growth from the Gulf, South East Asia and Australia in line with the MTA’s diversification strategy,” said Malta Tourism Authority Executive Chairman Gavin Gulia.

“We are delighted to launch direct services to Malta, the latest addition to Qatar Airways’ rapidly expanding European network,” commented His Excellency Mr Akbar Al Baker, Chief Executive Officer of Qatar Airways Group. “Set against the incredible backdrop of the Mediterranean Sea, Malta, with its stunning natural attractions and breathtaking architecture, is one of Europe’s most historic and culturally significant destinations,” the CEO added.

“With the flexibility of seasonal daily flights in summer, and four-times-weekly services in winter, we look forward to welcoming business and leisure travellers alike on board so that they may experience this charming destination for themselves,” added Mr Al Baker.

Minister for Tourism Konrad Mizzi said that the introduction of this route complements the government’s vision for tourism as it will provide better market diversification and increased connectivity for Malta.

The new direct services to Malta will have 12 seats in Business Class and 120 seats in Economy Class. Passengers travelling to Malta will also have access to Oryx One, Qatar Airways’ in-flight entertainment system.

Operating from its hub Hamad International Airport, Qatar Airways flies to over 160 destinations across six continents, of which more than 80 are in Asia and the Pacific, the Americas, and Africa. In fact, besides being a point-to-point connection to the capital of Qatar, the new flight to Doha is envisaged to serve as a convenient bridge to popular long-haul destinations such as Bali, Singapore, Los Angeles, and Seychelles.

EDITORIAL NOTE: The present story has been updated with additional quotes and information related to the new service. The updated coverage has been delivered by Manfredi Bertelli.

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The new flight information display system is plugged into a state-of-the-art Airport Management System (AMS), maintained by global air transport IT provider SITA. Malta airport says the new system is more flexible to customise and allows the airport to better communicate important information to passengers, such as flight status and departure gate allocation.

“With a seven million traffic milestone on the horizon, it is perhaps more important than ever to harness innovation so as to have access to real-time data to plan ahead, make timely decisions, and improve our agility in allocating the resources available in a way that enhances the airport experience for our passengers and the ease with which our team can perform certain day-to-day tasks,” said Ian Maggi, Head of Innovation and Technology at MIA.

“We have worked closely with Malta International Airport to provide a solution that helps the airport manage every aspect of its operation while providing a great experience for its passengers. It is rewarding to see this project come to fruition and the positive impact it has on the airport experience,” said Sergio Colella, SITA President Europe.

The Airport Management System provides a centralised dashboard which integrates several important modules, through which, critical landside and airside operations, including resource management, scheduling, flight information, parking and billing, are managed in an automated and intelligent manner, contributing to higher levels of efficiency and minimising human error, according to the press statement.

MIA is rolling out the Airport Management System in phases and is seen to be implemented in full by airport’s busy summer period. Malta International Airport has already launched its summer schedule featuring several new routes.

In the coming months, Malta International Airport will also be launching a new Baggage Reconciliation System, which would provide a better management system to all airport partners in the handling of checked-in luggage, thereby boosting security and preventing loss of passengers’ belongings.

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Before the flight, students received brief talks on the formalities of the airport by both Air Malta and Malta International Airport personnel. After this, students visited the airline’s engineering hangar to see Air Malta’s latest Airbus A320neo aircraft sporting Nickelodeon livery. One of the airline’s engineers explained some technical features of the aircraft during the visit.

The school organised the event together with Air Malta’s Captain Mark Micallef and the airline’s charter flights section. “It was made possible with the assistance given by the teachers and guardians of St Monica School who also accompanied the children, Malta International Airport including its Fire and Rescue Section and the Malta Air Traffic Services Ltd,” Air Malta says.

Every year many local schools take the opportunity to organise similar educational flights on Air Malta for their students, the press statement adds.

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