Minister for Tourism and Culture Francis Zammit Dimech announced that the government is accepting all bids submitted in response to the call for low cost carriers to operate new routes to Malta. Bids were submitted by two companies, easyJet and Ryanair.
The decision came after recommendations of the adjudicating committee appointed by Government to review the submitted bids.The committee's reccomandation stated that the government could accept all the proposals submitted.
According to astatement on Monday, the Minister said that Government was reacting in the fastest possible manner, conscious of the lead time required by the airlines to promote the flights. The Minister added that, since this is a State Aid matter, acceptance of these proposals remains subject to approval by the European Commission.
The adjudicating committee’s report stated that two airlines, easyJet and Ryanair, replied to the call for proposals. easyJet submitted proposals to develop the Luton and the Mulhouse-Basel routes, while Ryanair submitted proposals to develop the Luton, Pisa and Dublin routes. easyJet applied to start daily flights to Luton and five weekly flights to Mulhouse-Basel. Ryanair applied to start daily flights to Luton and three weekly flights to Pisa and Dublin. Ryanair have stated that they will increase the frequencies of the Pisa flight as demand picks up.
The adjudicating committee was composed of Mr Peter Portelli; Permanent Secretary at the Ministry for Tourism and Culture, Mr Marcel Pizzuto; Permanent Secretary at the Ministry for Competitiveness and Communications, Mr David Mifsud; Chief Executive Officer for Malta Tourism Authority, Mrs Marie Louise Mangion; Head EU Affairs and Policy Development at the Ministry for Tourism and Culture, and Mr Chris Fenech; Marketing Manager, Malta International Airport
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