The Ultimate Guide to Flights to Malta

Which airlines fly to Malta? Where can you find cheap flights to Malta? Are you looking for flights to Luqa airport in Malta? Do you need a visa to come to Malta? Read on to find out all you need to know about flying to Malta in 2020.

Finding cheap and direct flights to Malta has never been easier. Ever since Ryanair and Easyjet entered the market, ticket prices became very affordable. Sometimes you can manage to get flights to Malta for as little as 9 Euro.

The volume of tourism in Malta has doubled since 2010 when it was at 1.3 million visitors yearly. The year 2019 registered 2.6 million visitors. Together with such an increase in tourism, both the airport and the infrastructure around Malta had to undergo some developments to be able to handle such numbers.

The United States became one of the top 10 countries of origin for tourists coming to Malta; around 50,000 American tourists came to Malta during 2018 – a rise of 31%.  There were similarly strong rises in Australian tourists (around 46,000 travelled to Malta) and in Japanese tourists (whose expenditure is double the average).

The growth of visitors is certainly due to Malta joining the European Union, as this rose the outside interest towards the Maltese islands that enjoy the warmer weather than the most of Europe, and crystal clear waters of the Mediterranean sea.

Where is Malta? Is Malta a country? What is it all about? What is Malta famous for?

Questions such as these have led to Malta’s modern, tourist-oriented culture, a young and booming business that predicts 2020 will see a staggering 3 million new arrivals to the country (estimate made before COVID19).

Given Malta’s central position between North Africa and south mainland Europe, just next to Sicily, a rapid increase in Air routes to get here, have made travelling to Malta easier.

The idea behind this article is to make the practicalities of the travelling to Malta as simple as possible, from where to book your flights to how to get back and forth from Malta International Airport without hassle.

How do you find cheap flights to Malta?

To find cheap flights to Malta, it is always best to first use a flight comparison website, by far the most modern and simplest method for booking. There are multiple flight comparison sites online, and before booking anything, the majority of travellers first trawl through their options to catch the best deals and prices early. Can’t blame them, there are over thirty airlines flying to Malta with more airlines and planned routes being added over the upcoming years.

Skyscanner

It is an online travel giant based in Edinburg. Skyscanner can be accessed in over 30 different languages and boasts a user base of 100 million people per month, setting in stone its dominance over the flight comparison market.

Completely free to use, Skyscanner relies on unique technology to connect people directly to the travel industry, sifting through the various deals and powering over 1,200 related businesses. The company has been operating since 2003 and now has a staff of 900 people, with offices as far-reaching as Barcelona, Glasgow, Singapore and Miami. As far as travel service sites go, Skyscanner is, truly, a global giant.

FareCompare

Founded in 2004, this travel service provider aims to instil an air of confidence in its users when they purchase their flights, ensuring the customer always leaves satisfied. One particularly useful aspect of this site is the detailed and relevant information pages provided on each prospective destination.

Kiwi.com

A flight comparison site whose dazzling and interactive flight map makes analysing different flights options as simple as taking a walk in the park! Despite being named after New Zealand’s winged mascot, Kiwi.com is, in fact, a Czech travel operator, originally opening for business in 2011 as Skypicker.com. Today it is one of the top 5 sellers of airline tickets in Europe.

Expedia Flights

Expedia being a travel agent giant, certainly qualifies to be on this list as it offers price comparison and also a package with hotel and car for hire.

Kayak.com is a website belonging to Booking.com that allows you to make a price comparison.

TripAdvisor flights

It is an example of the expansion of TripAdvisor to the market of flights. This booking giant decided to step in for the competitive market of flight recently but certainly is one of the websites to check out when looking for cheap flights to Malta.

Where do you fly into Malta?

Malta’s only international airport is Malta International Airport (MIA), located in the municipality Luqa, at roughly twenty minutes drive to Valletta. The closest town to the airport is Gudja. Malta International Airport serves the whole Maltese islands. This is where the vast majority of travellers will pass through as 97% of tourists get to Malta by airplane. The airport was expanded to become what it is now after the second war ad during the war the airport was seriously battered. The British government financed 300 000 Maltese Lira to construct the new airport which was inaugurated on 31 March 1958.

Navigating the Malta airport today is simple, given the fact, there is only one terminal. As for utilities and services, the airport boasts all to be expected from a modern terminal;  there are phone charging stations, food and refreshments, free unlimited WiFi in the airport waiting area, as well as restrooms dispersed throughout.

Malta Airport ranks 83rd of the best airports in the world in the list of top 100 World Airport Awards.

How to go from Malta Airport to Valletta?

First-time travellers to Malta are sometimes surprised to find out that Malta Airport is approximately forty-minute bus drive from the capital city of Valletta. Yes, even on such a small island the time that you spend in a bus can be bigger than you might expect. Do not worry, there are plenty of ways to make the transfer faster:

Renting a car

The first and most obvious answer is to rent a vehicle from one of the many rental agencies at the airport or to use an online car rental website before arrival.

• Read also: Guide to car rentals in Malta.

Renting a car in Malta is recommended for a number of reasons, but it is not necessary. One of the most important reasons to hire a car in Malta is that Malta has no trains and public transport gets really busy especially in summer.

By using your own vehicle, you will organise your holiday with more freedom and can choose your accommodation out of central cities. In doing so, you can stay in an area with more nature and spend less.

Airport transfers

The second way to get to Valletta from Malta International Airport is to get an airport transfer. This can be done at €8 per person. However, the transfer will be shared and you can also delay until the minivan gets full.

Private transfers will be much faster if booked before and a driver can wait for you at the terminal. The costs would be from €17 for a private car and more expensive if you choose a station wagon, minivan or a bigger minibus. Check the exact prices here: Airport Transfers Malta.

Public transport

If you are planning to rely on public transport, there are a number of bus transfers available from the airport. Tickets can either be bought at the kiosks in the arrivals’ lounge or online beforehand (doing so prior to arrival is sure to save you precious holiday time), also you can buy it on the bus but make sure to have cash in small banknotes. Bus ticket prices in Malta are 2 Euro in summer and 1.5 Euro in winter.

How long does it take to fly to Malta, which Airlines fly to Malta & from which Airports?

Malta is conveniently located in between North Africa and mainland Europe and is the perfect stopover if you are flying between the Middle East and Europe but North Africa as well.

How long does it take to get to Malta by plane you wonder? That obviously depends on where you are flying from, but it’s a short flight if you’re flying from Catania for example or Tunis.

Below, you will find the approximate flight times from international major cities to Malta International Airport. Please be aware that these are reflective of the average flight times, though the connection/direct category is liable to change.

Direct flights to Malta 2020:

AirMalta

AirMalta operates since 1974. It is the flag carrier of Maltese islands with its hub and headquorters in Luqa. AirMalta operate flights to Europe, Middle East and North Africa.

Air Malta Head Office
Air Malta p.l.c.,
Head Office, Luqa
LQA 01, MALTA
Tel: 356 21690890 / 356 21229990
Fax: 356 21673241
Email: info@airmalta.com.mt
Website: https://www.airmalta.com

List of airlines that fly to Malta

Here’s a list of all the 33 airlines that fly to Malta, as of 2020. Note that some only offer flights seasonally:

• Tel Aviv, Israel. Air Malta
• Amman, Jordan. RyanAir
• Cairo, Egypt. Air Malta
• Istanbul, Turkey. Turkish Airline
• Doha, Qatar. Qatar Airline

Flights to Malta from Russia

From Asia to Malta

From Asia, it can be a difficult one to find flights to Malta. It is necessary to connect with another airport as Doha, Frankfurt, Brussels, Tel Aviv or Paris.

North America: How to get to Malta from the United States

From North America, unfortunately, there are no direct flights to Malta. The route to Malta should be made with one stop at least in one of the major European cities as Paris, London, Amsterdam, Frankfurt, Rome or other airports.

Here are some cities of North America to create a route with 1 stop:

New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Washington.

From South America to Malta

If you are flying to Malta from South America, then you will need to connect your flight with one European city. For example, if flying from Bogota, Colombia, we have found great tariffs with connection with London, Paris and Munich.

From Buenos Aires, Argentina we found cheapest connects through Barcelona, Frankfurt or Paris.

From Santiago, Chile we found cheapest connections via Rome and Paris.

From Mexico City, we found better prices and timing via Paris, Amsterdam and Frankfurt.

From Caracas, Venezuela better option would be via Istanbul as it would be operated by the Turkish Airline that is famous for its great quality.

Australia and New Zealand

Same as for North America, there are no direct flights to Malta from Australia or New Zealand. The best option would be to find a connection with one of the major European airport. London Airport usually has many connections to Malta at decent prices.

North Africa: How to get to Malta from North Africa

To get to Malta from North Africa you can get the direct flights from Tunis, Tunisia. The city of Cairo – also considered to be North Africa has a direct flight to Malta. The airline that operates these flights is AirMalta and is operating these routes since 2017.

Also, you can fly to Malta from Morocco with a direct flight from the city of Casablanca.

How much are flights to Malta

The prices of flights to Malta differ from season to season. Airlines such as RyanAir, EasyJet made the prices of fares to Malta to be as cheap as €9 in low season. In order to get the price, you need to book in advance, of course. Also remember that Malta is beautiful all year round, so if you want to travel on a budget, from November onward will be your best choice with high chances of having a warm temperature of the air and sea.

Do I need a Visa to fly to Malta

If you are flying from outside EU, you will obviously need an up-to-date passport to enter Malta and in some cases, you also will need to have a visa. You can apply for the Maltese Schengen Visa as Malta is a Member State of the European Union and a member state of the Schengen Area.

Depending on the purpose of your travel to Malta, there are different types of visas that will apply to the occasion. Whether you are planning to go on a visit, study, work or reside here permanently, you will have to apply for a different Malta Schengen Visa, accordingly.

Here you can download the Visa Application form.