Irish Airline is the second largest operator in Malta - Minister

Traditional Maltese music, dance and ...cupcakes welcomed the five millionth passenger to arrive in Malta on board a Ryanair flight earlier today. The 4-strong Archer family from Luton arrived on the flight from their hometown to a traditional welcome at Malta International Airport this afternoon.

In a brief ceremony marking the milestone, taking place during the 8th year of the successful relationship between MIA and Ryanair, Tourism Minister Edward Zammit Lewis thanked the two companies for their efforts. He expressed satisfaction at the increasing numbers of passengers being carried to Malta as a result, saying record tourism figures have been recorded this year.

The first Ryanair flight to Malta arrived on the same Luton - MIA route in 2006. Since then, the airline has gone from strength to strength, becoming one of the major players in the local tourism industry and accounting for 28% of the market - a market share second only to Air Malta’s.

In a brief statement, Ryanair’s Sales and Marketing Manager, Maria Macken thanked the Minister and MIA, describing the five million passenger figure as a “huge milestone” and expressed her optimism for the future.

Statistics and figures only tell part of the story however - for one young family from Luton, this visit to Malta will certainly be remembered for the right reasons.