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maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 11 OCTOBER 2023
NEWS
Air Malta clarifies why website still provides
bookings past airline closing date
AIR Malta has closed its reserva-
tion systems for bookings past its 31
March 2024 closing date, after the
airline was still accepting bookings
and payment on its website for the
same period.
In a statement, Air Malta said
that it faced challenges in updating
the availability of its flights sched-
uled on or after 31 March, which
is the official closing date for the
national airline.
"This arose as travel partners re-
quired an extended period to man-
age the partial discontinuation of
the global selling systems calendar
as it integrates within Air Mal-
ta's infrastructure," the statement
reads.
The airline said a partial closure
was unfeasible, thus forcing the
airline to retain the entirety of its
active calendar, which includes
flights scheduled on and after the
closing date.
"The only alternative was full
closure, which would have result-
ed in a significant impact, not just
for the airline, but for the Maltese
economy."
However, Air Malta said it has
now closed its resevation systems
for bookings intended for travel or
after 31 March.
All reservations for flights taking
place on or after 31 March will be
annulled and fully refunded, as was
announced in a press conference
announcing Air Malta's closure.
"Air Malta also assures its cus-
tomers that it will operate all
scheduled flights until 30 March
2024 and all existing tickets, along
with those acquired for travel up
to 30 March 2024, will retain their
validity. Flights will continue to
operate as scheduled until that
date."
