Flights and tourist traffic from Russia amidst pandemic (weekly update)

Malta announced the resumption of commercial flights to the country and the opening of Malta airport since July 1, 2020. Russia is not in the list.

In order to quickly restore tourist flow from Russia, European countries thought about easing the visa regime. The most active in this matter are the European countries, which GDP largely depends on the tourism sector.

According to the forecasts of tour operators, the number of Russian arrivals in Malta in 2020 may increase. At the stage of early booking, the demand in the destination, according to market participants, grew from 15 to 70%.

The number of Russian tourists visiting Malta from January to November 2019 increased by 10,6% and amounted to 31,25 thousand people.

The growth for the first half of the year amounted to 12.4%. In addition to the impressive increase in tourist arrivals to Malta from the Russian Federation, local statistics record a trend for longer holidays for the Russian tourists on the Maltese Islands: the average length of their stay here has increased by 33%. 

In Malta the growth trend, recorded in the Russian tourist traffic (+ 26.5%), is actual for the current year. Tour operators acting on the destination expect that the increase in the number of tourists will be even greater. According to the Central Statistical Bureau of Malta, for the first four months of 2019, 5,678 Russians arrived in the country, which is 26.1% higher than for the same period last year.

From the beginning of the year, the Maltese destination kept on to gain popularity among Russian tourists.  During the first quarter of 2019, Malta was visited by 4,296 tourists from the Russian Federation. This is 34% more compared to the same period last year. 

In the summer season of 2019, the volume of direct flights to Malta will increase. Tour operators talk about the growth in demand on the destination in the group segment, and tourists who want to send their children for educational tours to Malta should hurry. According to the Maltese Tourism Board, in the summer months there will be six flights a week from Russia to Malta. 

The number of flights between Russia and Malta will be increased in the summer of 2019, reports the Maltese Tourism Board.  "Since the beginning of April 2019, Air Malta has operated three flights a week from Sheremetyevo Airport on Wednesdays and weekends, and from June 10 another flight will be added on Mondays. Thus, four flights a week will be operated from Moscow to Malta. The residents of St. Petersburg they will be able to fly by direct flights twice a week (on Thursdays and Sundays) until the end of September," the report says. 

“Air Malta will launch flights from Malta to St. Petersburg's Pulkovo airport on March 29, 2018”, - reported the air harbor press service. Flights will be performed by Airbus A320 twice a week: from Valletta (the capital of Malta) to Petersburg, airplanes will be departed on Wednesdays and Saturdays, back - on Thursdays and Sundays. As noted in the press release, the regular flights between St. Petersburg and this European island state have not been carried out since October 2014.

The direction showed growth this year both among organized and independent tourists. In 2018 direct transportation to Malta will be more. Since March 2018 Air Malta resumes regular flights from St. Petersburg to Malta. At the same time from Moscow the national carrier will perform three and in the summer months - four regular flights a week. According to the tourist office of Malta in Moscow, in comparison with the last year the number of Russian tourists, who visited Malta in the period from January to September, increased by 43.6%.

The airline Air Malta is going to change the arrival airport in Moscow. Since June, it will fly to Sheremetyevo instead of Domodedovo. The final flight to Domodedovo will be held on May 29, the first flight to Sheremetyevo - on June 3. Passengers should carefully check the airport of departure and arrival in Moscow. The flight schedule will not be changed. Flight from Malta is operated on Fridays and Saturdays at 22.50, arriving to Moscow at 3.50. Return flight from Moscow departs at 4.40, arriving to Malta at 7.50. Air Malta uses Airbus A320 aircraft on this route.

On April 26, Transaero airlines for the first time in its history, operated the flight on the route Moscow - Malta - Moscow, as the press department of the company reported. "The first flight of Transaero at Malta International Airport was welcomed by the Extraordinary Ambassador of Russia in Malta Vladimir Malygin, general director of the Malta Tourism Authority Paul Budzheyya and CEO of Malta International Airport Alan Bordj. Big cake and the flowers were also prepared for the passengers if the first flight.