A total of 1,800 people due to arrive in the country in first day of reopening

The first commercial flights to Malta in three and a half months touched down yesterday morning as the country reopened its borders to 21 countries.

A Ryanair flight from Vienna landed shortly before 9am - one of 81 flights expected this week that will bring 1,300 visitors to the island.

Malta International Airport reopened to commercial flights for the first time since March 21 after a shut down to stop the spread of coronavirus. The country's COVID-19 death toll stands at nine people, with a total of 670 confirmed cases.

Flights from Poland, Italy, Spain, Germany, and Ireland were expected to land in Malta throughout the course of the day, while flights left the island to Germany, Austria, Poland, Italy, and Ireland over the course of the day.

The first flights were made by Ryanair with Air Malta coming in later. Other flights were made by Wizz Air.

The airport will open to flights from all destinations as from 15 July.

Tourism Minister Julia Farrugia Portelli and Economy Minister Silvio Schembri were due to welcome passengers arriving from the first commercial Air Malta flight from Rome later. However, that flight suffered a slight delay.

Travelers said social distancing, temperature checks and masks were firmly in place and they felt safe. Those arriving and departing are being monitored by thermal cameras to make sure they stay socially distant and that they do not have fever, a symptom of coronavirus.

Anyone who fails the temperature check will be tested for the virus, and will have to undergo quarantine until they test negative.

Malta depends on tourism for an estimated 30 per cent of its economy, according to Farrugia Portelli and hotels and restaurants are keen to salvage the usually-busy summer season.

She said eleven flights were due to land yesterday, while a further ten are expected today. In terms of passenger numbers, she said 1,800 people were arriving on the islands yesterday, with 500 of these coming by sea.

Chairman of Air Malta Charles Mangion said the national airline will operate 22 flights, instead of the usual 42 daily. “It will ramp up after July 15 once other destinations open,” he said.

“Things are quite positive for July and currently we stand at around 40,000 bookings. I’m not certain if they will all come, but at least its money coming in and we are assuming that the people will travel.

"August is picking up, as is September. While the picture might be a far cry from what it was in previous seasons, it’s still quite positive.”

However, doctors have warned people to remain vigilant against the virus that has seen a spike in some parts of Europe but has reached low levels on the island.

When asked if he is nervous about cases of COVID19 rising in countries that Malta is now receiving flights from, Mangion added: “It is always a bit of an uncertainty and it might put us one or two steps back. But we will just have to adapt to the problem and adjust accordingly. If you just stare at it nothing will happen.”

CEO of Malta International Airport Alan Borg said: “It’s going to be a long road back. But then again no beginning comes easy. We hope that in the coming months we can bring it back to its former glory.”

Following the lifting of travel restrictions, Europeans can now look forward to planning a well-deserved summer getaway on the lowest fares and with the new health measures that Ryanair has rolled out as it ramps up operations this Summer to protect the health and well-being of its crew and customers.

Malta International Airport CEO Alan Borg said: “The landing of the first Ryanair flight from Vienna following almost four months of suspended commercial activity officially marks the start of our journey towards recovery. We are pleased to see that Ryanair is already resuming operations to Malta from a number of destinations, and pledge to continue working with our partner airline and the local tourism authority to gradually restore more connections to and from our islands.”

Malta Tourism Authority CEO Johann Buttigieg said: “Malta welcomes the recommencement of flights as the global tourism industry emerges from the COVID-19 shutdown period. Ryanair and Malta Air are two important partners connecting Malta to a wide variety of tourism source markets. The international praise and recognition that Malta has received for its exemplary management of the pandemic makes us look forward to welcoming tourists back to our safe islands where tourists’ wellbeing is paramount. We commit ourselves to continue working with our airline partners to leave no stone unturned to re-grow tourist numbers within the shortest timeframe possible.”