Foreign Affairs and Tourism Minister Ian Borg said indications from US airline Delta suggest strong demand for the upcoming Malta – New York route. 

“Discussions with Delta are positive, and one can also get a sense of the demand by looking at flight prices,” Dr Borg said on the WhosWho Talks podcast.

“In a world of dynamic pricing models, the prices are a sign that the demand exists.”

Flights will launch on 7th June and run three times a week through to October. 

Dr Borg said American tourists tend to be high spenders who appreciate European history, and that the next challenge is ensuring Malta remains an attractive proposition to them beyond the initial surge of curiosity. 

“It must be sustained through marketing for the right people on the east coast and beyond, since JFK Airport is also an important transit hub for the Americas.”

On the podcast, the Minister also reiterated his desire to see direct flights between Malta and China and suggested this could be tied to promoting Malta as a Mediterranean cruise home-porting base.

“That would make sense because tourists would stay in Malta for a few days before and after the cruise, such as when Maltese tourists spend a few days in Miami before or after going on a Caribbean cruise,” he said.

“That is what we need to go, especially to attract people form faraway designations like Asia. Some high quality cruise liners are interested but the main issue is air connectivity, and we’re doing our utmost to facilitate this.”

“There is also the issue of the Grand Harbour’s capacity, which means we must revisit the original concession to see how we can better utilise and create more space.”