Malta to Reopen Airports on July 1, Despite EU Recommendations

Malta is planing to reopen commercial travel to the country for several EU nationals on July 1, despite the European Union recommendation to lift internal border restrictions by June 15.

Tourism Minister Julia Farrugia Portelli said that Malta will restore commercial flights as scheduled on July 1, while the country had been negotiating about travel restrictions with Brussels, AtoZSerwisPlus.mt reports.

“We were also part of these discussions and were in constant dialogue with the EU about travel restrictions and, together with the health authorities, have been observing how the situation has unfolded internationally,” Minister Portelli pointed out.

She stressed that “At the end of the day we didn’t wait for the EU to tell us to close our ports, so when we made that decision there wasn’t that sort of input on a European level.”

“But it’s an interesting and important ongoing discussion because we can see that many countries are tackling COVID-19 very well as figures continue to drop,” Portelli said.

According to the Home Affairs Commissioner Ylva Johansson, the Commission was recommending Schengen Zone countries and affiliated countries lift internal border restrictions by June 15.

“We are coming very close to a situation where we should lift all the internal border restrictions and border checks,” Johansson pointed out during a videoconference of European interior ministers.

Earlier this month, Malta revealed the list of countries (which you can find below)that will be eligible to travel to from the beginning of July:

• Germany
• Austria
• Italy (except for Emilia Romagna, Lombardy and Piemonte)
• France (except for Ile de France)
• Spain (except for Madrid, Catalonia, Castilla -La Mancha, Castile and Leon)
• Poland (except for Katowice airport)
• Cyprus
• Switzerland
• Iceland
• Slovakia
• Norway
• Denmark
• Hungary
• Finland
• Ireland
• Lithuania
• Latvia
• Estonia
• Luxembourg
• Czech Republic
• Greece
• Croatia

The list of destinations will be monitored regularly and reviewed if necessary. Restrictions on all other flight destinations will be lifted on July 15.

Anyway, on Thursday, Malta International Airport stressed that airlines were currently offering flights to just nine countries from next month.

Tourism Minister Julia Farrugia Portelli noted that its strategy for reopening borders was always planned in batches and would not be indefinitely limited to the 19 countries already announced.

She also stressed that negotiations were underway with a cluster of other countries and would be announced in the coming days.