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Malta International Airport has been open for commercial traffic for over 50 years. The present air terminal building was constructed during the period 1989/91 and was officially opened on the 7th February 1992. The cost of the terminal was funded partly by Government equity and partly by bank borrowings from the European Investment Bank and Maltese commercial banks. The building has been designed to handle 5 million passengers annually and is equipped with the facilities expected of a modern international air terminal.
The safety of operations and security of passengers, aircraft and the Airport are of prime importance to the Company and the facilities available comply with ICAO standards.
MIA boasts of state-of-the-art equipment such as a 100% Hold Baggage Screening system capable of processing 1,500 luggage pieces per hour and an ARINC MUSE common check-in system together with a Baggage Reconciliation System.
The terminal complex comprises of split level Departure and Arrival Halls at either side of the main building with spacious Check-In, Baggage Reclaim and Welcomers' Halls, cafeterias, restaurants, tax free shops for non-EU destinations and other retail outlets, offices, stores and other service areas. For the business travelers, the airport has two executive lounges as well as a separate, exclusive VVIP building for Heads of States and diplomats.
The terminal complex also comprises a road and pavement network extending approximately 40,000 sq metres and a main car park, coaches' park, a car-hire park and a taxi park extending approximately 50,000 sq metres.
The airfield has two runways; RWY 13-31 (3,544m long x 60m wide) and RWY 05-23 (2,377m long x 45m wide) aligned nearly at right angles to each other. Runway 13/31 is served by a system of taxiways, enabling aircraft to turn round at each end of the runway and to gain access to and from Park 9 (the aircraft apron associated with the terminal building). Runway 05/23 has a parallel taxiway to the north-west which is 18m wide and taxiway systems, giving access to aircraft parks 3, 4, 5 and 6, as well as aircraft park 8 and runway 13/31.
The airport has nine designated aircraft parking areas. Park 1 is used for General Aviation aircraft, Park 2 is mainly used for aircraft parking associated with maintenance facilities, Parks 3, 5, and 6 are largely disused but are suitable for small aircraft, whilst Park 7 is solely used by the Armed Forces of Malta. The main parking areas for commercial aircraft are Parks 4, 8 and 9 to the north of Runway 13/31. Park 8 provides parking space for six B737 type aircraft and is located in front of the old terminal building (currently used as a cargo centre). Park 9 is the principal area for parking commercial aircraft. This apron can accommodate 14 to 18 aircraft, depending on their size.
An approach-radar, complete with MSSR (monopulse secondary surveillance radar) is also operational, which gives approach procedures availability on all runways. The airfield is also served with a meteorological office, complete with an automated weather system (which includes VOLMET and ATIS), as well as a Doppler weather radar. The airport fire and emergency services are based in a building located north of the main runway. From this location the fire fighting vehicles can meet the response time criteria as laid down in the standards of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO). The airport's fire category is 9 and the current fire tenders provide the required storage capacity to meet these requirements.
The airport also operates Malta's only Meteorological Office, providing information to aircraft making use of Malta's Flight Information Region as well as to the maritime industry, the media, the agricultural and fishing industries, professional users in general and the public. |
