Malta Airport - 20 years on and still growing

Former President and prime minister Edward Fenech Adami was today accompanied on a tour of Malta International Airport, twenty years from the day he inaugurated the construction of the new airport.

"I am very pleased to have visited Malta International Airport today. The work done by those who planned the airport in 1992 have made it possible for it to be able to cater for the advances Malta made. The high quality service we are witnessing today is not only an achievement for the airport, but for all Malta," Fenech Adami said.

Fenech Adami - who had as then Prime Minister inaugurated the Terminal - was welcomed by Malta Airport CEO Markus Klaushofer for this visit, held on the eve of the actual anniversary day.

Other distinguished guests included ministers and Opposition MPs, former ministers who were responsible for the airport, as well as former chairmen, directors and CEOs who have served on the MIA board since 1992.

The tour of the terminal allowed the guests to see the major developments that occurred during these years.

Klaushofer said that although he has only been in Malta since the beginning of the year, he was aware of the pride all Maltese people felt about their airport.

The CEO acknowledged the importance back then in 1992, of the crucial decision to invest in a new terminal, which was of paramount importance for a tourism destination like Malta.

 "As a company which manages this airport, we have made various advancements through these years, keeping abreast with the developments of an ever changing travel industry. These past 20 years have seen monumental changes, but we always stayed focused on the original basic aim: that of giving Malta a gateway worthy of its people and those who visit us," Klaushofer said.

Over the years there has been major investment at MIA, from the decision to expand and change the infrastructure, to historical events like visits by dignitaries as well as the Libya crisis last year. There were also operational and commercial decisions, major amongst which was the privatisation in 2002.

"But this is not only about the past, it is also about the present, and more importantly about the future. As a company, we have set out a diversification strategy in order to meet the demands of the discerning passenger," Klaushofer said.

"Airports are no longer merely a transit area, but they are an experience in itself. But this is not enough, we need to continue looking at the future; and in our immediate future there is SkyParks Business Centre. So, although we are here today to celebrate the past 20 years, we also want to look ahead and embrace the challenges yet to come."