Ryanair announces 10 new destinations from Malta

Malta will be connected to ten new airports in Europe as of next summer, Ryanair announced on Tuesday.

Starting as of summer 2019, travellers will have the opportunity to fly into Cardiff and Exeter airports in the UK, Lamezia and Perugia in Italy, Nantes in France, Thessaloniki in Greece, Cork in Ireland, Maastricht in the Netherlands, Oslo Torp in Norway and also Luxembourg.

The routes to Norway and Luxembourg will be the first that Ryanair will be operating to these countries from Malta.

The addition of these routes means that Ryanair now operates 61 routes out of Malta, and it also means that another aircraft from their fleet will be based on the island. This brings the tally of Ryanair aircraft based in Malta up to six.

Ryanair's David O'Brien said that the addition of these routes means that Malta now has more European connections than Heathrow airport in London.

The executive chairman of the Malta Tourism Authority Gavin Gulia said the new routes complement the MTA's strategy of connecting Malta to as many destinations as possible.  Gulia said that the routes connect Malta to previously unconnected cities and that this opens up new opportunities for Malta and the Maltese.

Tourism Minister Konrad Mizzi said the announcement was positive for the sector, but was quick to point out that Malta was more than a summer destination.

Arrivals figures, he said, showed how tourism was being spread throughout the year, more than ever before.