Air Malta will start operating ‘lifeline schedule’ flights to London, Paris, Brussels

Air Malta has set up a ‘lifeline schedule’ to facilitate outbound travel for stranded individuals to their home countries, with flights bound for London, Paris, Amsterdam, Brussels, Frankfurt and Vienna to start operating from Monday.

“With these flights, the national airline is also ensuring continuous connectivity that is critical to the island’s supply chain. Selected flights from the outbound-only schedule will be available for individuals to book online,” Air Malta said in a statement on Thursday.

The flights will be operated on a point-to-point basis and will be available for customers who can prove that they are travelling back to their home country in the Schengen area either by producing a valid passport or residents’ card.

“This is [also] to ensure essential connectivity for critical medical cases apart from medical equipment and medicines to the island,” the airline said.

During this period, no online check-in will be offered. Passengers are asked to present themselves two and a half hours before the flight’s departure time.

In the meantime, all passenger flights inbound to Malta will be temporarily suspended after midnight on Saturday. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is attempting to assist persons with a valid Maltese passport to return to Malta from areas where scheduled flights have been cancelled.

“Travellers who do not manage to return to Malta by midnight between 20 and 21 March are urged to contact the Situation Centre at the Ministry for Foreign and European Affairs by not later than Saturday 21 March. The ministry will seek to provide assistance only to those who register by this date.