Malta International Airport

MLA originated before WWII, as there were initially three airports in Malta: Ta’ Qali, Hal Far, and Luqa. As the first two were heavily damaged during the war, civilian operations were centered on Luqa after that. As such, the necessity for a new terminal arose. On March 31st, 1958, the new terminal (financed by the British government) was completed, with two floors, a restaurant, a viewing balcony for the public, a post office, and more. In 1977 the terminal was refurbished (with an arrivals lounge and a dedicated VIP lounge added), and a newer, longer runway was unveiled. And although these changes were essential, after a decade, they too were insufficient, and construction began on a new terminal.
Nonetheless, the old facilities were again upgraded with air conditioning, new baggage carousels, flight information monitors, new retail outlets, and more. The new terminal opened in February 1992, and the old passenger terminal was closed the following month. While MKA served 3.5 million passengers in 2011, by 2017, that number had ballooned to 6 million. This was primarily due to the increase in the number of routes, primarily by low-cost carriers such as Ryanair.

The airport is located in the town of Luqa, southwest of the Maltese capital of Valletta. 

• The most significant aircraft that regularly serves MLA is the Boeing 777-300 by Emirates. It also occasionally serves the Airbus A380, usually for repairs. 
• The Air Wing of the Armed Forces of Malta is located at MLA, comprised of six hangars, a total of four fixed-wing aircraft, and a helicopter. 
• The Malta Airport MetOffice provides the national meteorological service for Malta, and the aerodrome weather system is also located at the airport.  
• The two FBOs at MLA are Executive Aviation Malta and DC Aviation Malta.