A Gulf Oryx, destination Malta

By Clive Aquilina Spagnol

Clive Aquilina Spagnol is a qualified air transport expert working in the State of Qatar

26 years ago an airline smaller than a typical regional carrier serving a handful of neighbouring destinations was set up in a tiny coastal Gulf State. Four years down the line, the airline was re established with a very modest business plan and outlook. To put this year in the wider context, by this time Europe had 3 of the largest 10 airlines worldwide, and Malta’s national airline was over 20 years old serving three continents, including the Middle East. Today this Gulf operator has grown to serve more than 160 destinations, and as of Tuesday it includes Malta.

Whereas the Gulf as a region presents a mix of low cost and full service carriers, current industry reference is usually presumed to the largest three, that are, Emirates, Qatar Airways and Etihad (mentioned chronologically according to date of inception).

Worth recalling that the Gulf gave the airline industry a multinational carrier way before the largest three of recent years made it to the ranks; Gulf Air. However, whilst it is still in operation, it never challenged the airline industry in the way the biggest three of that region did.
Malta has been enjoying direct connections to the Gulf for more than 20 years, but as of this Tuesday Malta is now served by another Gulf superconnector: Qatar Airways.

The worldwide airline cohort is primarily dominated by the largest 15 of the industry composed of the largest three from USA, the largest European three, the largest three from China, one EurAsian, two Asian and the three majors from the Gulf, including Qatar Airways.

What is of interest is that the Gulf titans catapulted themselves to this league in the short span of two to three  decades, with Qatar Airways registering the fastest growth amongst its regional peers.

Stemming out from a very small State in the Arabian peninsula, the airline not only put the State of Qatar on the map, but disrupted successfully air traffic flows between West and East. This disruption meant more choice, lower fares and a high quality, multi-award winning product for passengers.

The identification of Malta by the airline to be part of its comprehensive network is a privilege for the islands. Chronologically, this will mark the 10th anniversary from the year (2009) when Malta and the State of Qatar has signed an international agreement so that their designated airlines therein would be able to operate scheduled commercial services between the two countries.

Since then, Air Malta and Qatar Airways were free to put these rights into commercial use, but which for commercial reasons none of the two deemed it opportune.

It is thus a bonus for Malta to have Qatar Airways taking the commercial risk to commence operations. It is also important for Malta as a tourist and business destination to be served by an airline which caters for high yield traffic.

Almost seven million passengers pass through MIA annually, served in the majority by either low cost carriers or airlines which over the years transited predominantly to low cost. Ryanair is an example of the former, commanding the largest market share at MIA; Air Malta is an example of the latter, trailing with the second largest market share at the same airport. The statistics derived from the last sentence alone illustrate the prevailing traffic category at MIA, and in contrast the value the Qatari national airline can bring with it.  

When I successfully competed to join the airline in 2015 as the first Maltese in senior management to work at the airline headquarters in Doha, I was proudly surprised to learn that the airline had an interest in operating to Malta. The airline then announced destination Malta in 2018 during the ITB in Berlin, perhaps the most important travel and tourism fair in the world, and by December 2018 when the official airline press release was out, needless to say my surprise turned into pride. This Tuesday a direct flight to my homeland became a reality.

As an aviation professional working in Qatar, I am grateful to Qatar, Qatar Airways and the State aviation authorities for the opportunities they have given me in my aviation career.