If you get confused by the naming of airlines based in Malta, you are not alone. Air Malta and Malta Air frequently cause confusion and misuse. The two airlines, however, are very different. Indeed, Air Malta is the long-serving flag carrier of the country. Meanwhile, Malta Air is a relatively new low-cost startup, as a subsidiary of Ryanair. Let's take a look at the various differences between the two carriers.

Malta Air - a Ryanair subsidiary

We will start with the larger of the two airlines: Malta Air. The carrier was formed in 2019 as a joint venture between Ryanair and the Government of Malta. It is a subsidiary of Ryanair and operates aircraft registered in Malta.

For many years, Ryanair operated as just one company and brand. From its founding in 1984 up to 2018, Ryanair followed the strategy of growing through one company. This changed in 2018 when it launched an independent Polish subsidiary called Ryanair Sun. This rebranded as Buzz in early 2019, and continues to operate as a separate company and brand.

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Malta Air continued this new strategy of operating multiple companies, but with a different focus. It allowed Ryanair access to new markets, but also cost savings, as giving aircraft a Maltese registration and base has tax advantages.

Malta Air initially handled just flights to and from Malta, but this quickly expanded. As its network has grown, so has its fleet, and it has even begun receiving brand-new Boeing 737 MAX aircraft in the last few years. These are now painted in a new Malta Air livery, with the carrier receiving the first in July 2021.

Air Malta - the national airline

Air Malta was established in 1973 as a new airline by the Maltese government, based at Malta International Airport (MLA). It followed on from several private airlines that had operated at various times since the late 1940s. Did you know that Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) came onboard as a partner to help with the setup?

The new airline initially wet-leased two Boeing 720s from PIA, and started flights in April 1974. It served the UK, Germany, France, Italy, and Libya with these initial two aircraft. Air Malta later expanded this fleet to five and then took on leased 737 aircraft. It then purchased three 737-200 aircraft, starting serving in March 1983. The airline has since steadily expanded its fleet and destinations

In 2002, it began to replace the fleet with Airbus narrowbodies, and it now solely operates single-aisle aircraft from Airbus. Today, Air Malta serves several destinations in Europe and North Africa. It also codeshares with several European and Middle Eastern airlines, most recently adding Italy's ITA Airways. However, recent months have also seen it face restructuring, resulting in heavy job losses.

In 2018, it had plans to add the A321LR aircraft to its fleet and serve new destinations, including New York, Toronto, and Mumbai. It remains to be seen whether it will continue with this plan post-pandemic. To add confusion to the branding of the two airlines, Air Malta underwent a rebranding in 2012, and some of its aircraft are now branded with just the name "Malta."

Fleet comparison

With Air Malta being a national flag carrier and Malta Air being a low-cost subsidiary, there needn't be a rivalry between the two airlines. Nonetheless, this hasn't stopped Ryanair CEO Michael O'Leary from taking aim at the struggling Maltese national airline, stating in September 2022 that the carrier would never make a profit. In any case, it is worth concluding by comparing the two operators' fleets.

Starting with Air Malta, data from ch-aviation.com shows that the national airline has three Airbus A320s and four A320neos at its disposal. These aircraft types have respective average ages of 14.1 and 3.3 years old. Meanwhile, Malta Air's colossal fleet consists of over 150 aircraft. 122 Boeing 737-800s dominate the carrier's operations, and they are supplemented by 29 737 MAX 8-200s.

Have you ever flown with either Malta Air or Air Malta? Which of the two similarly-named carriers is your favorite? Let us know your thoughts and experiences in the comments!

Source: ch-aviation.com

• 

  Ryanair

  IATA/ICAO Code:

  FR/RYR

  Airline Type:

  Low-Cost Carrier

  Hub(s):

  Dublin Airport, London Stansted Airport, Milan Bergamo Airport

  Year Founded:

  1985

  Airline Group:

  Ryanair Group

  CEO:

  Eddie Wilson

  Country:

  Ireland