Malta comes into view from the air all at once. The approach crosses open water, then honey coloured limestone, church domes and the deep blue cut of Grand Harbour. A few minutes later the wheels touch down at Luqa.

One airport serves three inhabited islands, so almost every visitor walks through the same terminal. Rome and Athens offer more long-haul choice. Malta makes up for it with a dense web of short flights across Europe that keeps running through the winter.

Malta International Airport (MLA)
The airport sits in the south of the main island, a short drive from Valletta. The Royal Air Force built the airfield on the eve of the Second World War, and during the siege of Malta it was on the front line. Everything happens in one terminal, so walks are short and the layout is easy to read.

The upper floor holds a food court and a small chapel, and wifi is free throughout. The La Valette Club lounge sits at the top of the building and stays open around the clock. Its glass wall and open terrace face the airfield, and Priority Pass holders can use it. Arriving passengers have their own lounge off the baggage hall.

The terminal is growing. A larger eastern wing is going up with extra gates, more check-in space and a direct link to the Park East multi-storey car park.

Beyond The Passenger Terminal
Private jets use a separate VIP terminal with its own entrance, and several business aviation companies base their fleets in Malta. Lufthansa Technik runs big maintenance hangars beside the runway, where Airbus jets from across Europe come in for heavy checks. The old Luqa terminal from the 1950s now handles cargo. The Air Wing of the Armed Forces of Malta flies its patrol and rescue aircraft from the same field, and small training aircraft from local flight schools share the circuit with airliners.

Airlines & Routes
KM Malta Airlines is the national carrier. Its busiest links run to London, Paris, Rome and Munich, and the network also reaches Zurich, Amsterdam, Brussels, Madrid, Vienna, Istanbul, Catania and Palermo, with Tel Aviv in summer.

Ryanair has the largest network, with aircraft based on the island. Italy is Malta's best connected country, with flights to well over a dozen Italian airports. Wizz Air covers much of Eastern Europe, including Budapest, Skopje and Tirana. Britain is the biggest market, and easyJet and Jet2 serve it alongside Ryanair and KM Malta. SAS flies to Copenhagen, Norwegian to Billund and LOT to Warsaw.

Emirates flies to Dubai and Qatar Airways to Doha. Turkish Airlines connects through Istanbul. From any of the three, Asia, Africa and Australia are one change away. Delta flies to New York JFK in the summer season, the first nonstop link to North America on an American airline. There is no direct service to Asia or Australia.

Gozo
Gozo has no airport. The heliport at Xewkija has no scheduled flights, though private helicopters land there on request. A small airfield for island hopper aircraft has been proposed many times. The latest plans drew objections from residents and the local council, and the project is still caught in planning debate. Car ferries cross from ?irkewwa at the northern tip of Malta to M?arr, and a fast passenger ferry runs from Valletta.

Getting From The Airport
Malta has no railway. Express buses leave the terminal forecourt for Valletta, Sliema, St Julian's and the northern resorts, and one route runs to ?irkewwa for the Gozo ferry. Taxis are booked at a desk in arrivals with fixed fares by area. Car hire desks sit in the arrivals hall.

Practical Notes
Malta is in the European Union and the Schengen area. Travellers from outside the EU have their fingerprints and photo registered under the Entry/Exit System on first entry. The EU also plans a travel authorisation called ETIAS for visa-exempt visitors. It is not yet in operation, so ignore websites that offer to process it. Malta uses the euro and the British three-pin plug. Routes and entry rules change, so confirm details with your airline, the airport or official EU sources before you travel.

Magelline Perspective
From most of Europe, Malta is one nonstop flight away all year, and Britain and Italy have the widest choice. North Americans can take Delta's summer flight from New York or connect through London, Paris, Munich or Istanbul. From Asia, Australia or Africa, the Gulf hubs and Istanbul make the easiest transfer. If Gozo is the goal, go straight from the terminal to ?irkewwa and let the ferry finish the trip. Sicily pairs well with Malta, since Catania and Palermo are a short hop away.