Air Malta

Air Malta plc is the flag carrier of Malta, with its headquarters in Luqa and its hub at Malta International Airport. It operates services to destinations in Europe, Middle East and North Africa.

History

Early years

Shortly after the Second World War, several small private airlines were formed in Malta. Amongst these were The Malta Instone Airline, BAS (Malta) Ltd, and Malta Airlines. In 1947 the former two companies merged to form Air Malta Ltd in fierce competition with the latter. Eventually in 1951 Malta Airlines absorbed the operations of Air Malta Ltd and continued operating through an agreement with BEA until 1973. The owners of Air Malta Ltd used their real estate, staff and equipment to set up a ground handling company called MAS, Malta Aviation Services.

In the early 1970s the Maltese government appointed Albert Mizzi as Chairman of the airline and made a call for an international airline partner to help set up an airline. Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) then regarded as Asia's best airline was selected and a new carrier set up. The name chosen for the new airline was similar to that of its forerunner, Air Malta Co Ltd, and was established on 31 March 1973. BEA was chartered to continue its Malta operations, this time for Air Malta, until Air Malta's first flight on 1 April 1974. Both Malta Airlines and Malta Aviation Services were taken over by the government and the private owners were given a shareholding in Air Malta Co. Ltd.

Malta

Coordinates: 35°53′N 14°30′E / 35.883°N 14.500°E / 35.883; 14.500

Malta (ⁱ/ˈmɒltə/; Maltese: [ˈmɐltɐ]), officially the Republic of Malta (Maltese: Repubblika ta' Malta), is a Southern European island country comprising an archipelago in the Mediterranean Sea. It lies 80 km (50 mi) south of Italy, 284 km (176 mi) east of Tunisia, and 333 km (207 mi) north of Libya. The country covers just over 316 km² (122 sq mi), with a population of just under 450,000 (despite an extensive emigration programme since the Second World War), making it one of the world's smallest and most densely populated countries. The capital of Malta is Valletta, which at 0.8 km², is the smallest national capital in the European Union. Malta has two official languages: Maltese and English.

Malta's location has historically given it great strategic importance as a naval base, and a succession of powers, including the Phoenicians, Romans, Moors, Normans, Sicilians, Spanish, Knights of St. John, French and British, have ruled the islands.

Malta (Amtrak station)

Malta, Montana is a station stop for the Amtrak Empire Builder in Malta, Montana. The station, platform, and parking are owned by BNSF Railway.

Notes and references

External links

Malta (river)

The Malta is a river of Latvia, 105 kilometres long.

See also

Coordinates: 56°12′36″N 27°22′51″E / 56.21000°N 27.38083°E / 56.21000; 27.38083