Aerodrome

Malta International Airport has been open for commercial traffic for over 50 years. The present air terminal building was constructed during the period 1989/91 and was officially opened on the 7th February 1992. The cost of the terminal was funded partly by Government equity and partly by bank borrowings from the European Investment Bank and Maltese commercial banks. The building has been designed to handle 5 million passengers annually and is equipped with the facilities expected of a modern international air terminal.

The safety of operations and security of passengers, aircraft and the Airport are of prime importance to the Company and the facilities available comply with ICAO standards.

Malta Airport boasts of state-of-the-art equipment such as a 100% Hold Baggage Screening system capable of processing 1,500 luggage pieces per hour and a SITA CUTE common check-in system together with a Baggage Reconciliation System.

The terminal complex comprises of split level Departure and Arrival Halls at either side of the main building with spacious Check-In, Baggage Reclaim and Welcomers' Halls, cafeterias, restaurants, tax free shops for non-EU destinations and other retail outlets, offices, stores and other service areas. For the business travellers, the airport has two executive lounges as well as a separate, exclusive VVIP building for Heads of States and diplomats.

The terminal complex also comprises a road and pavement network extending approximately 40,000 sq metres and a main car park, coaches' park, a car-hire park, a taxi park and an employee car park extending overy 50,000 sq metres.

The airfield has two runways; RWY 13-31 (3,544m long x 60m wide) and RWY 05-23 (2,377m long x 45m wide) aligned nearly at right angles to each other. Runway 13/31 is served by a system of taxiways, enabling aircraft to turn round at each end of the runway and to gain access to and from Apron 9 (the aircraft Apron associated with the terminal building). Runway 05/23 has a parallel taxiway to the north-west which is 18m wide and taxiway systems, giving access to aircraft Aprons 3, 4, 5 and 6, as well as aircraft Apron 8 and runway 13/31.


The airport has nine designated aircraft parking areas:

·      Apron 1 is used for General Aviation aircraft

·      Aprons 2 & 3 are mainly used for private and business jets

·      Apron 4 is used for commercial aircraft and long-term parking

·      Apron 5 is used by light aircraft

·      Apron 6 is inactive

·      Apron 7 is used exclusively by the Armed Forces of Malta.

·      Apron 8 is used for commercial aircraft and is located in front of the old terminal building (currently used as a cargo centre).

·      Apron 9 is used for commercial aircraft and is the main operational area for schedule/charter passenger operations. This apron can accommodate 14 to 18 aircraft, depending on their size.

An approach-radar, complete with MSSR (monopulse secondary surveillance radar) is also operational, which gives approach procedures availability on all runways. The airfield is also served with a meteorological office, complete with an automated weather system (which includes VOLMET and ATIS), as well as a Doppler weather radar. The airport fire and emergency services are based in a building located north of the main runway. From this location the fire fighting vehicles can meet the response time criteria as laid down in the standards of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO). The airport's fire category is 9 and the current fire tenders provide the required storage capacity to meet these requirements.


The airport also operates Malta's only Meteorological Office, providing information to aircraft making use of Malta's Flight Information Region as well as to the maritime industry, the media, the agricultural and fishing industries, professional users in general and the public.