Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1126183
06.06.19 3 NEWS QATAR Airways' inaugural flight from Doha to Malta land- ed at Malta International Air- port on Tuesday, marking the launch of the airline's newest gateway to Europe. Operated by an Airbus A320 aircraft, flight QR383 was wel- comed with a celebratory wa- ter cannon salute upon arrival at MIA. is was followed by a wel- come ceremony attended by the Charges d'Affaires of the State of Qatar to Malta, Abdul- la Khalid A A Al-Derham, Mal- ta's Minister of Tourism, Kon- rad Mizzi, and Qatar Airways Senior Vice President Europe, Sylvain Bosc. Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, Akbar Al Baker, said the company was delighted to launch direct services to Malta. "Set against the incredible backdrop of the Mediterranean Sea, Malta, with its stunning natural attractions and breath- taking architecture, is one of Europe's most historic and cul- turally significant destinations," he said. "With the flexibility of sea- sonal daily flights in summer, and four-times-weekly services in winter, we look forward to welcoming business and lei- sure travellers alike on board so that they may experience this charming destination for themselves." e new direct services to Malta will be operated by an Airbus A320 aircraft, featuring 12 seats in Business Class and 120 seats in Economy Class. As well as enjoying the award-win- ning in-flight service on board, passengers travelling to Malta will also have access to Oryx One, Qatar Airways' in-flight entertainment system, offering the latest blockbuster movies, TV box sets, music, games and much more. Malta is the third new desti- nation to be introduced by the airline this summer following the launch of flights to Izmir, Turkey, and Rabat, Morocco, in May; with Davao, the Phil- ippines, and Lisbon, Portugal, joining the network later in June; followed by Mogadishu, Somalia, on 1 July; and Lang- kawi, Malaysia, on 15 October. Qatar Airways was named 'World's Best Business Class' by the 2018 World Airline Awards, managed by interna- tional air transport rating or- ganisation Skytrax. It was also named 'Best Business Class Seat', 'Best Airline in the Mid- dle East', and 'World's Best First Class Airline Lounge'. Qatar Airways currently op- erates a modern fleet of more than 250 aircraft via its hub, Hamad International Airport (HIA) to more than 160 desti- nations worldwide. Qatar Airways touches down in Malta for the first time FROM PAGE 1 "e absence of withholding taxes on outbound, that is from EU residents to third country residents, dividends, in- terest and royalty payments made by Malta-based companies may lead to those payments avoiding tax altogether, if they are also not subject to tax in the recipient country." e EC also said that although Mal- ta's sale of citizenship through the Individual Investor Programme and Malta Residence and Visa Programme do not automatically grant residence for tax purposes, if requirements are met, income may be exempt under the 'non-dom' regime when income is not remitted to Malta, without substantial physical presence requirements. "ey may facilitate aggressive tax planning practices and have been listed by the OECD as having a potentially high risk for being misused to circumvent the au- tomatic exchange of financial accounts," the Commission said. In the last decade, Malta experienced a pronounced shift towards the services sector, with a strong focus on interna- tionally oriented areas such as financial services, tourism and remote gaming. e EC said that the size of the finan- cial and gaming sector, and the efforts to attract crypto-currency operators required an effective anti-money laun- dering enforcement. "e recent increase in the human and budgetary resources of the Financial Intelligence Analysis Unit as well as the enhancement of its procedures and pro- cesses are positive steps. "Governance shortcomings, particu- larly in the fight against corruption, may also adversely affect the business environment and weigh negatively on investment. In particular, there is a risk of conflict of interest at various levels of government. Furthermore, the police's Economic Crimes Unit is currently un- derstaffed. In this context, it is impor- tant to couple a strengthened legislative framework with timely and thorough implementation." e Commission also recommended that Malta take to ensure the sustaina- bility of the healthcare and the pension systems. In 2018, the government made ad- justments to include contributions made after pensionable age and allowed self-employed and part-time working pensioners under 65 years to pay contri- butions proportionate to their earnings, promoting longer working lives. However, the statutory retirement age, gradually increasing from its current level at 62 years, is set to remain un- changed after 2027 at 65 years despite a projected further growth in life expec- tancy. e Pension Strategy Group estab- lished in 2018 is expected to publish a report by December 2020, outlining recommendations for improving the adequacy and sustainability of the pen- sion system. Measures to decentralise services from hospitals to primary care and to improve the provision of long-term care services are also ongoing. Current plans to expand the capacity of public hospital outpatient care can help in tackling long waiting times for certain specialties. Nevertheless, other measures to re- duce unnecessary referrals to special- ists and redirect inappropriate use of emergency care to outpatient have so far not been fully used, preventing im- provements in efficiency of the system. Rise of gaming, finance and crypto needs beefed-up economic crime police The EU Commission welcomed the recent increase in the human and budgetary resources at the FIAU