Earlier today, Malta International Airport welcomed the first new airline for 2017 with the traditional water salute. Eurowings will be operating morning flights to Vienna every Tuesday and Sunday until October, strengthening MIA’s existent connection with the Austrian capital.

The airline, which is planned to replace Germanwings following a rebrand, is a fully owned subsidiary of the Lufthansa Group. Eurowings flies to over 130 destinations across Europe, and offers flights to a number of long-haul destinations such as the Caribbean and Bangkok.

Malta International Airport CEO Alan Borg said; “Occasions such as this one reward our year-long efforts to secure better connectivity for the Maltese islands. Working in close cooperation with the Ministry for Tourism and the Malta Tourism Authority is crucial to attracting new airlines to Malta and developing a more convenient flight schedule for our ever-increasing number of passengers.”

Minister for Tourism Dr Edward Zammit Lewis stated; “Given our almost total dependence on air travel for our tourism influx, the role of Malta International Airport in the current tourism success story is pivotal. The very positive performance achieved so far this year renders us significantly optimistic for the attainment of our ambitious tourism objectives for 2017, during which year we will undoubtedly continue to enhance and strengthen our collaboration with MIA.”

Malta Tourism Authority CEO Paul Bugeja welcomed the commencement of services by Eurowings from Vienna, and expressed his confidence that the nation’s connectivity enhancing strategy, under the direction of the Tourism Ministry, and executed in partnership with Malta International Airport, will continue to yield positive results for the tourism industry and the Maltese economy at large.