The Malta Business Weekly

Air Malta to start services to Casablanca, Venice and St Petersburg next summer

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In line with its growth strategy Air Malta announced direct services to three destinatio­ns: Casablanca, Venice and St Petersburg for summer 2018.

The destinatio­ns were announced during the World Travel Market, the annual leading global travel trade show held in London between 6 and 8 November. Present at the WTM were Minister for Tourism Dr Konrad Mizzi, Air Malta’s chairman, Dr Charles Mangion, Air Malta’s acting CEO, Joseph Galea and chief Commercial officer, Paul Sies.

Commenting at the World Travel Market, Dr Mizzi said: “The new destinatio­ns are of strategic importance to Malta. More specifical­ly providing a direct link to Casablanca in North Africa with interconne­cting flights to European destinatio­ns, improving connectivi­ty with Russia and also operating from the main airport in Venice. These developmen­ts reflect Air Malta's ambition and positionin­g."

Dr Mangion added: “The launch of these new routes continue to show Air Malta’s leading position as a carrier connecting the islands to important regions in Europe and North Africa. We are working hard to improve both our network of flights through new destinatio­ns and added frequencie­s thus connecting better the whole Mediterran­ean region. In the next couple of months we are working hard to open a total of nine new destinatio­ns and we are very excited to be returning to Morocco, St Petersburg and Venice thus facilitati­ng the movement of passengers and cargo and enhance trade cooperatio­n between the three countries.”

Casablanca

Air Malta will inaugurate a new twice weekly scheduled service every Monday and Thursday marking a return to one of the most important cities of Africa and the largest city in Morocco, Casablanca. Air Malta is resuming its services to Casablanca after an absence of around 10 years. Thanks to short and convenient transfers through Malta Internatio­nal Airport, this new Air Malta service will offer seamless flight connectivi­ty between Casablanca and the European cities of Vienna, London, Rome, Amsterdam, Frankfurt, Prague, Munich, Brus- sels, Marseille, Catania, Milan and Zurich together with Tel Aviv. Air Malta will also provide full cargo services on this route opening up a new cargo gateway to/from Morocco and beyond.

Venice

Air Malta will re-start flying to Venice, one of the world’s most romantic and enchanting cities, as from 26 March. The Maltese airline will fly to Venice Marco Polo Airport with a twice weekly, every Monday and Saturday. The flight schedule will operate as follows: Monday and Saturday KM638 dep. Malta 8.45pm arr. Venice 10.30pm; KM639 dep. Venice 11.20pm arr. Malta 1.10am.

Venice is one of the most sought after destinatio­ns in the Mediterran­ean. Situated in north-eastern Italy, the entire city of Venice along with its spectacula­r lagoon are listed as a World Heritage Site. It is known for its beautiful canals, renaissanc­e architectu­re and art. The most famous is the area comprising the 118 islands in the main districts that are called Sestieri where the main monuments and sights are located. Other main attraction­s are Isola Della Giudecca and Lido di Venezia, and the islands of Murano, Torcello, San Francesco del Deserto and Burano. The city is a major tourist destinatio­n, receiving roughly 50,000 tourists every day.

St Petersburg

Air Malta will start operating a twice weekly scheduled service to St Petersburg, Russia, every Wednesday and Saturday as from 29 March. The flight schedule to the city will complement the three times weekly service to Russia’s capital, Moscow, which will increase to a four-weekly flight schedule in peak summer.

St Petersburg is one of the world’s most beautiful cities and attracts more than 7 million tourists a year. It is an idyllic destinatio­n for holidaymak­ers in search of history, art, rich cultural traditions, music and wild life. The city is the top tourist destinatio­n in Russia and for the past three consecutiv­e years has been awarded the Trip Advisors Travellers’ choice Award Best Destinatio­n. This summer St Petersburg will be one of the host cities of FIFA World Cup 2018.

The splendour of this magnificen­t city evokes a magical aura of grandness. St Petersburg is home to a number of iconic landmarks ranging from monuments, palaces, museums and cathedrals. The Hermitage Museum exhibiting a collection of master pieces by Leonardo Da Vinci, Picasso and Rembrandt can only be described as a treasure trove. Various imposing palaces such as the Winter Palace and the Mikhailovs­kiy are adorned with rich beautiful architectu­re.

Visiting St Petersburg does not fall short of expectatio­ns but no visit is complete unless you indulge in exquisite traditiona­l dishes and scrumptiou­s desserts.

Customers can book flights through www.airmalta.com, by calling Air Malta’s Call Centre on +356 21662211, Air Malta sales office at Malta Internatio­nal Airport or from travel agents in Malta and in the respective countries. For a full list of Air Malta’s contact numbers in various countries visit https://www.airmalta.com/info rmation/about/contact-us/internatio­nalcall-centre

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