Over 6,000 Air Malta bookings cancelled over COVID-19 quarantine rule

Air Malta has had over 6,000 flight bookings cancelled after Maltese residents entering the country without a vaccine certificate were told to apply for permission to avoid paying €1,400 to quarantine in a hotel.

The airline has recieved “a significant number of cancellations on the majority of its routes” for travel during July and August following the announcement of a change in travel requirements, Air Malta told The Times.

“While there are a number of people each day declined travel due to incorrect travel documentation, the current situation is primarily being driven by large scale cancellations of intended travel in the month of July, with over 6,000 bookings cancelled already since Friday, July 9,” the spokesperson said.

“In addition, new bookings for travel in August have ceased and the number of people failing to turn up to travel as booked has increased dramatically. This has occurred across all 19 markets Air Malta operates to.”

Call centres are “inundated” with calls from customers seeking clarification on the new rules, with many inevitably cancelling their booking.

So far no flights have been cancelled but this remains a possibility if business continues at a slow pace.

Maltese residents entering the country without a vaccine certificate must apply for permission to avoid paying €1,400 to quarantine in a hotel.

The Superintendent of Public Health will decide each case "on an individual basis", the government said in a statement on Thursday.

People arriving from the 71 countries on Malta’s ‘red list’ can enter without a vaccine certificate but they must provide a negative PCR test taken no more than 72 hours before their arrival.

They must then undergo 14 days of quarantine in a hotel at a cost of €100 per night, per room, “which will include breakfast.”

There are exceptions for unvaccinated children aged 12-15 who may undergo their mandatory quarantine at their permanent residence in Malta. 

However, anyone living in the same household, even if vaccinated, must also quarantine for the same period of time.

Maltese residents over the age of 16 must apply for “authorisation from the Superintendent of Public Health to complete their quarantine period in an alternative residence.”