Malta International Airport
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The old passenger terminal at Luqa Airport was converted into an air cargo terminal when the completely re-furbished Malta International Airport became fully operational in March 1992. |
Malta International Airport , still referred to by locals as
Luqa Airport, is located between
Luqa and
Gudja in
Malta. It occupies the location of the former
RAF Luqa. The completely re-furbished airport became fully operational on
March 25 1992.
While most other airports serve large cities, Malta International Airport (
MIA) serves the whole Maltese Archipelago. It is often mistakenly referred to by the foreign press as
Valletta Airport despite the fact that
Floriana,
Blata-Bajda,
Hamrun,
Marsa, and
Santa Lucia all lie between the capital,
Valletta, and MIA. The distance from Valletta to MIA is about five miles (8 km).
Malta International Airport is fully equipped to international standards. It has two runways, one being 3,544 meters long by 60 meters wide and the other 2,377 by 45 meters wide. The 40,000 m² terminal complex houses the Departure and Arrival Halls, with spacious
check-in,
baggage claim and Welcomers' Halls, cafeterias, restaurants,
tax-free shops, and other retail outlets, offices, stores, and other service areas. A special feature of the terminal complex is the presence of an additional tax-free shop for passengers arriving in Malta rather than departing.
Malta International Airport also has special facilities for business travellers. It has three executive lounges as well as a separate, exclusive VVIP building for Heads of States and diplomats.
Outside of the terminal, one finds a 50,000 m² parking area for visitors, travellers, and car hire agencies.
Luqa Airport hosts the annual Malta Airshow, visited by military and civil aircraft from various European and other countries (see
website).
Security
MIA boasts state-of-the-art equipment such as a 100% Hold Baggage Screening system capable of processing 1,500 luggage pieces per hour and an ARINC MUSE common check-in system together with a Baggage Reconciliation System.
Air traffic control
(ATC) operations are carried out from a fully equipped control tower / Area Control Centre located between runways 14/32 and 06/24.
Technical information is taken from the airport's official homepage.
The following airlines serve Malta International Airport:
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Air Berlin (Nuremberg)
*
Air Malta (Amsterdam, Berlin-Tegel, Birmingham (UK), Bristol, Brussels, Cairo, Casablanca, Catania, Cologne/Bonn, Dublin, Düsseldorf, East Midlands, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Istanbul-Atatürk, Lisbon, London-Gatwick, London-Heathrow, London-Stansted, Manchester (UK), Moscow-Domodedovo, Munich, Newcastle, Oslo, Paris-Orly, Rome-Fiumicino, Sofia, Stockholm, Tripoli, Vienna, Zurich)
*
Alitalia (Milan-Malpensa, Rome-Fiumicino)
*
Austrian Airlines (Vienna)
*
Blue Line (Paris-Charles de Gaulle)
*
British Airways (London-Gatwick, Manchester (UK))
*
BritishJET (Birmingham (UK), Bristol, Cardiff, Exeter, Glasgow, Leeds-Bradford, London-Gatwick, London-Stansted, Manchester (UK), Newcastle, Nottingham)
*
Centralwings (Warsaw)
*
Emirates (Dubai, Larnaca)
*
Helicopteros del Sur (Gozo)
*
Jat Airways (Belgrade, Tripoli)
*
Libyan Arab Airlines (Tripoli)
*
Lufthansa (Frankfurt)
*
Thomas Cook Airlines (Belgium) (Brussels)
*
Thomsonfly (Birmingham (UK), Bristol, Doncaster/Sheffield, Exeter, Glasgow-International, London-Gatwick, London-Luton, Manchester (UK))
*
Tuninter (Monastir, Tunis)
*
MyTravel Airways (Manchester (UK))
*
Malta International Airport*
Air Malta website
