German flag carrier Lufthansa Group recently celebrated the 40th anniversary since its first flight operating from Malta International Airport (MIA).
Sharing the news, Gabriella Galantis, Senior Director Sales Southern Europe at Lufthansa Group, remarked that on Friday, she had the pleasure to celebrate the milestone together with the group’s Senior Director Marwene Ben Hadj Said and General Manager Sales Italy and Malta Sebastiano Penna.
Lufthansa Group’s journey in Malta started on 31st March 1984, when a Boeing 737-200 took off from Malta on its way to Frankfurt. The frequency of flights eventually increased to three and then five flights per week. Since then, it has continued to grow its presence in Malta.
“Today, Malta welcomes three airlines from Lufthansa Group with almost 70 weekly flights, connecting the island of Malta with Germany, Switzerland, and the world, facilitating travel and trade,” Ms Galantis said.
Lufthansa Group is made up of Lufthansa Airlines, Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines, and Swiss.
She proceeded to thank passengers, trade partners, and colleagues for making Lufthansa Group’s operations in Malta successful over the years. She also expressed gratitude towards Deputy Head at German Embassy in Malta Elmar Kohlhofer, MIA CEO Alan Borg, and Malta Tourism Authority CEO Carlo Micallef for celebrating with the aviation group. “Also, many thanks to the crew on LH1276 that despite the heavy winds, decided to take a picture with us,” she continued.
Last January, Lufthansa Group and new Maltese airline KM Malta Airlines signed a bi-lateral codeshare agreement, connecting the networks and flights of the participating airlines. It enables customers to book a single ticket across multiple flights involving KM Malta Airlines and Lufthansa Group’s airlines.
The 40-year milestone comes just a year after Lufthansa Technik Malta, the airline’s maintenance, repair, and overhaul company, marked its 20th anniversary. The company, based at MIA, began operations in 2003 as a joint venture between Lufthansa Technik and Air Malta, which has now ceased operations.
