Malta-Japan air links ‘on the horizon’

Transport Malta has announced it has started discussions with the Japan Civil Aviation Bureau for the establishment of air transport links between both countries.

Talks were held in Tokyo earlier this week during a trade mission to Japan, led by Prime Minister Joseph Muscat.

Captain Charles Pace, the director-general for civil aviation, met with representatives of Japan’s Civil Aviation Bureau, Japanese airlines and a number of stakeholders within the aviation industry, to discuss relations between the aviation sectors of both countries.

“Malta will continue to build on the progress made in these meetings to establish an air services agreement between the two countries. Both delegations reached a common understanding on the routes to be operated by the airlines, capacity entitlements, code-sharing, aviation safety, security and other operational arrangements,” Transport Malta said.

TM said the meetings marked an important milestone for Malta in its quest for further international cooperation in the field of aviation.

The air travel industry in Japan supports over one million jobs and generates over €70 billion in GDP.

Japan is currently undergoing a capacity expansion policy with the aim to accommodate an extra 39,000 international flight movements by the year 2020.

“Malta is developing into an aviation hub, with a strong yet flexible legal framework, positioning itself as an attractive jurisdiction for aircraft registration,” TM said in a statement. “New legislation has breathed new life into Malta’s aviation industry and the country has been steadily building up a cluster of aviation services including maintenance, aircraft management, cargo operations, training, asset financing and slowly but surely, elements of the leasing sector.”