Malta International Airport

Malta International Airport plc (MIA) was registered as a company on the 16 th May 1991 (registration number C 12663) and commenced operations on 1st January 1992. Initially, MIA managed and operated the air terminal but was later entrusted with the responsibility of the entire airport. Before 1992 these activities had been undertaken by the Government's Air Terminal Department since the 1st January 1989, and before that by the Government's Department of Civil Aviation (DCA). On 1st May 1998, in addition to the operation of the air terminal activities, the Company also took over the operation and management of the airfield facilities as well as the air traffic control of Malta's Flight Information Region (FIR). The airfield services were previously the responsibility of the DCA that has since then retained a purely regulatory role. In the process of taking over such operations, the Company had also taken over from the DCA all personnel previously deployed in running such activities. Air Traffic Control was again separated from the MIA central structure in 2001. It is now an autonomous, government entity known as Malta Air Traffic Services Ltd. The transfer of the operation of the airfield services from the DCA to MIA consolidated the operation and management of all airport facilities of Malta's only licensed airport and consequently crystallised the line of demarcation between the regulatory functions which are the administrative responsibility of the Directorate for Civil Aviation and the operational responsibilities for the Airport which are now entirely vested in MIA. In July 2002, the Government of Malta signed an agreement with the Malta Mediterranean Link Consortium Ltd (MML) for the sale of 40% of Malta International Airport plc. The deal was worth Lm40 million (€93.16 million). MML is owned by Flughafen Wien AG (57%), SNC-Lavalin Inc. (39%) and Airport Investments Ltd, which is an associate company of the Maltese Bianchi Group of Companies. The Government of Malta sold a further 20% of its shares in MIA plc by means of an Initial Public Offering in November 2002 and another 20% in November 2005. MIA's core air terminal operations include general passenger services, and the operation of an extensive range of retail services at the airport, airside and landside shops, restaurants and other outlets, which are all operated on concession agreements. MIA also leases office space to airlines and other travel related operators at the airport. Malta Airport is a member of the ACI-EUROPE (Airport Council International - Europe) and a number of company officials sit on specialised committees and working groups within this council.