Passengers will have to be screened at the airport before getting on a flight, and not just with thermal screening as has taken place so far, said Malta International Airport CEO Alan Borg in a live interview on WhosWho.mt’s The Boardroom.

Mr Borg, responding to questions by business writer Jo Caruana, said management has been looking at different COVID-19 screening technologies for weeks, stressing that Malta is not alone and that airports will ultimately be opened after national and EU approval.

Commenting on how he anticipates the passenger experience to change, Mr Borg said that it is unlikely to see families, people with young children or the vulnerable to be among the first wave of passengers once operations resume.

He said MIA has had regular calls with airline partners, which are scaling back capacity either by reducing their fleet or choosing more profitable destinations. So far there have been cancellations of the Maltese market from airlines in the UK, Germany, the Baltic region and Eastern European airlines.

He highlighted however that airlines will scale down or up quickly according to demand.

Echoing comments often heard in the business community, Mr Borg said ultimately the deciding factor for how quickly the industry will rebound is the duration of the crisis – likely to depend on a vaccine.

Despite a complete stop to the airport’s revenue stream, Mr Borg confirmed that MIA has managed not to make any staff redundant. Major projects started prior to the crisis will continue, such as maintenance works.

Responding to more personal questions, Mr Borg revealed that his first son was born some weeks ago, which has meant that together with the COVID-19 pandemic seriously hampering the airport’s operations, he has adapted to big changes.

“I never ever thought I would walk through the airport terminals and see them completely empty”.

He said that core operational staff, such as technical workers, customer service and safety are still present on site because cargo and repatriation flights are still taking place, while there has been a 25 per cent increase in freight cargo.