The number of aircraft registered in Malta has rocketed by around 3,300% in the past 25 years, according to a Maltese aviation sector guide.
The scale of the industry’s growth was reported at a business breakfast on Friday held jointly between Bank of Valletta (BOV) and Aviation Malta, which describes itself on LinkedIn as “the first guide to the aviation industry” locally.
Speaking at the event, Aviation Malta co-founder Melissa Lamb said that while 25 years ago Malta’s aircraft register comprised just 26 aircraft, today it was “approaching 1,000” – equivalent to around 3,500%, estimated conservatively, according to a Business Picture exercise.
The increase “speaks not only to Malta’s growth as an aviation hub, but to the confidence international operators place in our regulatory framework and people”, she said.
Over 900 aircraft were listed in Malta’s aircraft registry as of last April, twice as many as five years earlier, transport minister Chris Bonett said at a conference last year.
BOV and Aviation Malta are partners in the aviation sector, a media release announcing the discussion said, with Lamb commenting that Friday’s event was “an opportunity to bring the sector together, take stock of how far we’ve come, and look ahead to where Maltese aviation goes next”.
Bank CEO Kenneth Farrugia said three decades of economic diversification had made Malta more resilient to external shocks, while highlighting BOV’s role in supporting the aviation industry.
The bank was now working with companies including Citibank, Bank of New York Mellon, Lloyds, UBS, Intesa Sanpaolo and Unicredit, he said, placing it in a “much better position to support cross-border transactions, which are essential to the aviation sector”.
The business breakfast is part of ongoing efforts between BOV and Aviation Malta to “promote Malta as a premier hub for international business and investment, while strengthening engagement with key industry stakeholders”, the statement noted.
Recent years have seen low-budget airline giant Ryanair increase its presence in Malta, including the opening of subsidiary brand Malta Air. The airline opened a new €20m maintenance and overhaul facility adjacent to Malta International Airport four years ago.
A central bank report from last year found that Malta Air held the largest share of the aircraft registry with some 174 planes registered in Malta at the time. Charter airline VistaJet came next with 98 aircraft, followed by Hungarian low-cost airline Wizz Air Malta Lrd, which had 96.
