VALLETTA (MALTA) (ITALPRESS/MNA) – Malta’s airspace, spanning 90,000 square kilometres from Crete to Tunisia, is experiencing unprecedented levels of air traffic this summer. An average of 500 aircraft traverse the region daily—half of which pass through, while the rest land or take off from the national airport.
Malta Air Traffic Services CEO Robert Sant confirmed that this figure is expected to climb even higher. “It appears that sometimes we will reach 550 or 560, a level which we haven’t seen before and which is expected to remain till the end of the year. This will be a record-breaking year,” he said.
Several factors are contributing to this surge, including industrial action by air traffic controllers in France and ongoing tensions in the Middle East. These developments have led many airlines to reroute flights through Malta’s corridor. Despite the pressure, Maltese air traffic controllers are managing the increased demand effectively. “The capacity and demand were very high and we performed very well,” Sant stated, noting that controllers helped reduce delays and maintained high safety standards. Airspace is divided into zones operated by pairs of controllers using advanced systems like radar, surveillance, and datalink technology. With growing global tensions and a surge in tourism, this summer is expected to be Malta’s busiest air traffic season to date.
– photo IPA Agency –
(ITALPRESS).
