Maltese startup KM Malta Airlines has been awarded its Air Operator Certificate (AOC) and Air Operator’s License by Malta’s Civil Aviation Directorate, allowing the airline to press on with its plan to commence flight operations on March 31, 2024.
The start of scheduled services coincide with the winding up of Air Malta, which will cease services on March 30. According to the Times of Malta, all bookings for flights on or after March 31 will be refunded in full, with its successor expected to operate under the same brand.
Tickets are now on sale for the carrier’s first flights, operated exclusively using a fleet of eight A320-200neos in a two-class configuration. Describing its ‘vision, ambition and mandate’ to ‘protect and enhance the connectivity of the Maltese islands to Europe and beyond,’ as well as supporting the islands’ continued economic development,’ KM Malta Airlines notes it intends to adopt ‘a key European destination focus’.
During its summer 2024 schedule, the airline will serve 17 airports across 15 cities; performing 284 weekly flights with a total of 1,430,000 seats. It has also launched its recruitment programme and will be seeking to recruit around 372 employees, starting with flight deck crew.