A commercial travel ban on flights in and out of Malta has been extended to last until 15th June, 23:59, according to a Notice To Air Men (NOTAM) published this morning.

The NOTAM reads:

“The Superintendent of Public Health hereby extends the order of a travel ban on persons to Malta and from Malta to all countries, provided that cargo flights, ferry flights, humanitarian flights, and repatriation flights shall be exempt from this order.”

“The Superintendent of Public Health may, in her absolute discretion, issue and exemption from the provisions of this order, by notice in the Gazette, or by other means, where, in the opinion of the said Superintendent of Public Health, the travel of certain persons or goods is deemed to be essential”, the notice continues.

“Operators must, according to the notice, obtain prior approval from the Malta Civil Aviation Directorate before any operations.”

The ban will remain in place until 15th June at 23:59.

Malta introduced a complete travel ban on 21st March in order to stem the importation of COVID-19 cases from Europe, whose situation had been deteriorating far more rapidly at the time.

Limitations on flights had already began in the days preceding the complete commercial travel ban:

28th February – Passengers flying in from Italy, China, Hong Kong, Singapore, Japan, Iran and South Korea, from 26 February onwards were requested to stay in quarantine for 14 days upon arrival.
8th March – Flights from/to Milan were suspended
10th March – Flights from/to Italy were suspended
11th March – Flights from/to France, Switzerland, Germany and Spain were suspended.
11th March – Passengers flying in from France, Switzerland, Germany and Spain were requested to stay in quarantine for 14 days upon arrival.
13th March – All passengers flying in from all destinations were requested to stay in quarantine for 14 days upon arrival.
18th March – Last Virtu’ Ferries service for passengers between Malta and Sicily was operated.
21st March – All flights from/to all destinations were suspended

As measures are being relaxed, with Malta’s restaurants and outside establishmens allowed to re-open, as well as non-essential retail and services, the tourism industry – chiefly through MHRA president Tony Zahra, has cautioned that if the airport is not reopened soon it would have devastating consequences on the local economy.

Following the news that Greece and Italy would be opening up their airports in June, there has been further pressure on local authorities to do the same, in view of a stabilising epidemiological situation in Malta. Despite higher daily increases of the virus, the authorities have stressed that this should be viewed with respect to increased testing.

Previous travel ban extensions had been extended on a monthly bases, from end March to end April, from end April to end May. The extension of the travel ban to mid June could suggest that Malta is contemplating opening the airports by end-June.

Last week, Tourism Minister Julia Farrugia Portelli referred to bilateral discussions with nine European countries on the possibility of forming a safe travel corridor, should the virus continue to be controlled. 

Read the full NOTAM, click here.