Ryanair Holdings has agreed to purchase Malta Air, a Maltese start-up airline, into which Ryanair will move and increase its Malta-based fleet of six B737 aircraft.
The investment in Malta Air will enable Ryanair to grow its presence in Malta (currently three million customers a year), and access non-EU markets (North Africa) from Malta. Completion is planned for the end of June, following which Ryanair Holdings will:
- Switch six Malta-based aircraft on to the Maltese register
- Move 200 Malta-based crew on to local contracts paying local Maltese taxes
- Increase its Malta-based fleet to 10 aircraft within three years and create over 350 jobs
- Brand its Malta-based fleet in Malta Air colours for summer 2020
- Move Ryanair-based aircraft from France, Italy and Germany on to the Malta AOC, which will allow these crews to pay their income taxes locally in France, Italy and Germany instead of Ireland where they are currently required to pay income taxes under Ryanair’s Irish AOC.
The Ryanair Group will then comprise four airlines: Ryanair (Ireland), Buzz (Poland), Lauda (Austria), and Malta Air.
