Ahead of KM Malta Airlines’ impending inaugural flight, the new flag carrier for the Mediterranean island of Malta has announced a new codeshare agreement with KLM. Under the terms of the agreement, KLM will place its code on KM Malta Airlines’ eight weekly services between Malta Luqa Airport (MLA) and Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport (AMS).
“This codeshare initiative opens exciting opportunities for both airlines to expand their networks and offer enhanced travel experiences to their valued customers,” said a KM Malta Airlines statement. “Passengers flying with KM Malta Airlines and KLM can now enjoy a seamless travel journey, from check-in at their departure airport to baggage claim at their final destination.”
The signing of this latest codeshare agreement comes swiftly after the fledgling carrier announced another codeshare agreement signed with the Lufthansa Group. Unveiled in January 2024, the bilateral agreement includes flights operated by Lufthansa as well as Brussels Airlines, Austrian Airlines, and SWISS.
The codeshare agreement with Lufthansa Group will enable customers of the respective airlines to book a single ticket across multiple flights involving both KM Malta Airlines and the other carriers. It also offers seamless through check-in and baggage routed directly via connecting codeshare flights to their final destination.
The agreement results in KM Malta Airlines expanding its reach onto thirty-five new destinations across Europe through services operated by Lufthansa Group carriers, in addition to their operations on the Malta to Frankfurt (FRA), Munich (MUC) and Zurich (ZRH) direct flights.
The new carrier also signed another codeshare agreement with KLM’s sister airline Air France in February 2024. This partnership, like those with KLM and the Lufthansa Group, will facilitate passenger connections between the partnering airlines’ respective networks.
KM Malta Airlines kicks off its services on March 31, 2024, with its summer schedule, serving 17 airports across 15 key European cities including Amsterdam, Berlin (BER), Brussels (BRU), Catania (CTA), Dusseldorf (DUS), London-Gatwick (LGW), London-Heathrow (LHR), Lyon (LYS), Madrid (MAD), Milan (LIN), Munich, Paris-Charles de Gaulle (CDG), Paris-Orly (ORY), Prague (PRG), Rome (CIA), Vienna (VIE) and Zurich. The carrier’s first flight will be to Catania.
KM Malta Airlines has risen phoenix-like from the ashes of former Maltese national carrier Air Malta which was dissolved after years of loss-making operations and the Maltese government failing to get EU approval for an injection of state aid.
KM Malta’s aircraft are being given a revised livery, retaining the familiar Maltese Cross against two-tone red on the tail fin. The fuselage is all white with ‘Malta’ written on the front, with other colors on the rear of the fuselage of Air Malta aircraft having been removed. The engine nacelles remain in red. According to ch-aviation, the carrier starts with a fleet of six Airbus A320neos seating 180 passengers.
