Malta International Airport
Address: Luqa LQA 4000, Malta
Telephone: +356 2124 9600
Website: maltairport.com
Altitude: 91 m
Facilities: 1 passenger terminal and 2 runways
IATA airport code: MLA
ICAO airport code: LMML
Alias: Ajruport Internazzjonali ta’ Malta, Luqa Airport and Valletta Airport
MALTA arrivals today flight schedule
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MALTA departures today
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About Malta International Airport
It is on the island of Malta in the Mediterranean about 8 km south of the capital, Valletta. The location of the airport is in the village of Gudja and is also called Luqa airport. The airport is an important port for Air Malta and Medavia. The local airlines offer many flights to mainly European destinations. The Irish company Ryanair also has a base at Luqa Airport. Many departures go to London and some other major cities such as Frankfurt and Rome, but also the nearby Catania, Italy.
Two runways are in use for all flights. They measure 2.375 and 3.545 meters long. All Malta arrivals take place in the same passenger terminal. Passenger numbers hovered around three million (arriving passengers) a year for years. However, from 2010 there has been a significant increase to more than 7 million passengers in 2019. The following years were difficult due to the pandemic. In 2022, the flight routes will increase again and the numbers will rise again.
Top routes from MLA
- LHR – London Heathrow
- LGW – London Gatwick
- CTA – Catania
- FRA – Frankfurt
- MUC – Munich
- FCO – Rome Fiumicino
- MAN – Manchester
- IST – Istanbul
- ORY – Paris
- ZRH – Zurich
History
Due to the Second World War, a few small airports were formed together. In order to get more people at the airport, it was suggested to expand the Malta airport departures after the Second World War in 1956. In 1958 the new terminal could be put into use and the first Luqa arrivals were a fact. It was not until 1977 that the runway was extended to give larger aircraft the opportunity to realize Malta flight arrivals. With new extensions to the baggage carousels, computers, new floor surfaces, etc., preparations were made to have more Malta flight departures. In 1992 a new terminal was opened to further expand the airport.
Ground transportation Malta airport
Directions:
- To Sliema/to St Julians: Continue to Vjal L-Avjazzjoni/road 1. Follow road 1 to Triq tas-Sliema in San Gwann. Take the exit road 1. Continue on Triq tas-Sliema. Take the Triq San Albert, Triq D’Argens and Triq Rodolfu to the San Piju V in Sliema.
- To Valletta: Continue to Vjal L-Avjazzjoni/road 1. Follow road 1 to road 6. Continue to road 6. Take Triq Diċembru Tlettax, road 6, Triq Sant’ Anna, Triq Girolamo Cassar and St Paul St to the St.Frederick in Valletta.
Transportation options:
- Car rental: there are plenty of options for a car rental. With different companies in the Malta arrivals hall (on lower level 1 at Park East and 4 minute walk from the terminal) you can rent a car at Thrifty, Hertz, Sixt, Avis, Budget or Europcar (and some others). By driving in a car you will be in the centre of the city of Valletta in about 15 minutes.
- Taxi: Luqa airport departures by taxi is also possible and that costs about 15-20 euros to the city and takes 15 minutes as well of course. If you travel to Sliema or Bugibba, you pay 5-10 euros more. There are fixed prices from the booth at the Welcomers’ hall. You can also book a taxi via the Malta Taxi App.
- Bus: you can also travel on the island by bus. There are several options (four lines: X1, X2, X3 and X4), but the fastest way is 25 minutes and costs 1.50 to 2 euros. You can buy a ticket on the bus.
Bus stop map
Parking
When you travel by own car and leave the island you can decide to park your car at the airport. MLA arrivals gives you multiple options to park your car. You can park for free for the first 10 minutes at the Surface Car Parks. Ideal for when you have a pick up or drop off. After that you pay €2 for the first hour in the surface car parks. The longer you stand, the cheaper it gets. The daily rate is €15. The daily rate is also €15 in the multi-storey car park East. The price only rises a little faster in the beginning.
Parking map
Malta airport Terminal
The terminal at the airport is not that big and has 3 floors. To start with, the Malta Arrivals (baggage reclaim) and check-in desks can be found on the ground floor. When you would like to have a MLA departures you go one floor up to Level 1 after check-in via security. There are the Malta departures with 18 gates for boarding. There are different shopping options. For example, go to the Agenda Bookshop, Pharmacy, Hebe, Parfois, Samsonite or WHSmith. For dining you also have various options to choose from. The famous places are McDonalds, Sushi, KFC, Hard Rock Cafe, Burger King and Costa Coffee.
At Luqa Malta international arrivals you go the other way around. After landing you will arrive at level 1 and via passport control to ground floor for your luggage. There is a food court on level -1 that is connected to a car park. There is also an observation deck at level 2 to check out landings and departures.
There are two different lounges that you can use. One of them can be reached via the arrivals area and the other is La Valette Club Lounge and can be reached in the departures area.
There is also a VIP terminal at Malta Airport. If you want to make use of this, you can contact us via the official website of the airport. You can do that here: VIP-terminal
Passenger statistics at Malta Airport
Despite its compact size, Malta Airport (Maltese: Ajruport Internazzjonali ta ‘Malta) is experiencing impressive growth with many Malta airport arrivals. In 2009, 3 million annually to more than 7 million in 2019. Unfortunately due to the corona there is a 76.1 percent decrease in Malta airport departures in 2020. In that year there were only 1,748,050 passengers to be seen at the airport.
Destinations from Malta airport
Most Malta international airport departures normally go to London Gatwich Airport in the U.K. followed by Fiumicino Airport in Rome, and Frankfurt Germany. The top destinations in Europe will be completed with the following airport:
- Vienna
- Barcelona
- Belgrade
- Warsaw Chopin
- Edinburgh
- Madrid
- London Luton and Stansted
- Seville
- Athens
- Berlin
- Charleroi
- Dublin
- Porto
- Hamburg
- Lisbon
- Dusseldorf
- Palermo
- Paris-CDG
- Milan-Linate, and many more.
Airlines
Almost every route is flown by Air Malta. Other airlines with Malta Airport arrivals are:
- British Airways
- Easyjet
- TUI Airways
- Alitalia
- Ryanair
- Lufthansa
- Jet2.com
- Transavia
- Turkish Airlines
Despite Air Malta’s many routes, Ryanair normally operates most Malta departures. Other frequent seen carriers with Luqa departures are:
- Wizz Air
- Vueling
- AirSerbia
- Volotea
- AirBaltic
- Iberia
- Air France
- Aegean Airlines
- Swiss Airlines
Hotels
There are no hotels on the grounds at Malta Airport. There are several options in the vicinity. Some hotels where you can stay are as follows:
- Squadron’s Base Accommodation
- Talbot & Bons Boutique Bed & Breakfast
- Piazza Suites
Things to do in Malta
- Wander off the Beaten Track
- A stroll around Medina
- Vibrant Valletta
- Marvel at Malta’s prehistoric heritage
- A day in Gozo
- Swim & Dive
- A boat trip to Comino
News
- In September, Malta International Airport recorded over 812,000 passenger movements, marking the third consecutive month with more than 800,000 passengers. This represented a 6.5% increase over 2019 figures. The seat load factor remained high at 89.2%, indicating strong travel demand. Italy, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, and Spain were the top five markets, with Italy and France experiencing significant growth. The winter flight schedule (November 23 to March 24) has been published, featuring direct flights to 30 different markets, with increased flight frequencies on popular routes like Vienna, Marseille, Edinburgh, Warsaw, and Zagreb.