Aviation & Ships Spotting in Malta

Anything from Civil & Military Aviation to Naval Vessels

Malta International Airport (MLA/LMML)

Malta International Airport, also referred to as Luqa Airport (IATA: MLA / ICAO: LMML), is the only airport in Malta, and it serves the whole Maltese Archipelago.  It occupies the location of the former RAF Luqa and was completely re-furbished, becoming fully operational on March 25, 1992.

The airport is operated by Malta International Airport plc (M.I.A.).  M.I.A. was registered as a company on the May 16, 1991 and commenced operations on January 1, 1992.  Initially, M.I.A. managed and operated the air terminal but was later entrusted with the responsibility of the entire airport.

On May 1, 1998, M.I.A. tookover the operation and management of the airfield facilities as well as the air traffic control of Malta's Flight Information Region.   The airfield services were previously the responsibility of the Department of Civil Aviation, that has since then retained a purely regulatory role.  Air Traffic Control was again seperated from the M.I.A. central structure in 2001.  It is now an autonomous, government entity known as Malta Air Traffic Services.

In July 2002, the Government of Malta has signed an agreement with the Malta Mediterranean Link Consortium Ltd (MML) for the sale of 40% of M.I.A.  The deal was worth Lm40 million (€93.16 million).  MML is owned by Flughafen Wien AG (57%), SNC-Lavalin Inc. (39%) and Airport Investments Ltd, which is an associate company of the Maltese Bianchi Group of Companies.

The Government of Malta sold a further 20% of its shares in M.I.A. by means of an Initial Public Offering in November 2002 and another 20% in November 2005.

M.I.A.'s core air terminal operations include general passenger services, and the operation of an extensive range of retail services at the airport, airside and landside shops, restaurants and other outlets, which are all operated on concession agreements. MIA also leases office space to airlines and other travel related operators at the airport.

Malta International Airport serves as the main hub for Air Malta, though many other airlines also fly to the airport, including many holiday airlines.

General

 IATA Code:  MLA 
 ICAO Code:  LMML
 Time:  UTC +1 (+2 DST)
 Latitude:  35° 51' 27.15" N
 Longitude:  014° 28' 38.78" E
 Elevation:  300 feet (91.44 mtrs) AMSL
 Type:  A - Public/Civil
 Magnetic Variation:  2° 03.5' E (Jun-2008)
 Beacon:  Yes
 Operating Hours:  24 hours
 International Clearance Entry:  Airport of Entry
 Daylight Saving Time:  From last Sunday in March to last Sunday in October

Satellite Image... [VIEW]

Runways

 RWY Dimensions   Surface   PCN   ILS 
 05/23  2,377 x 45 metres   Asphalt  075FDXU   NO 
 13/31  3,544 x 60 metres   Asphalt   100FBXU  YES 

 Runway:  05  23
 True Heading:  054.30°  234.68°
 Latitude (THR):  35° 50' 50.91" N   35° 51' 35.71" N 
 Longitude (THR):  014° 27' 36.28" E   014° 28' 53.53" N
 Elevation (THR):   297 feet (90.5 mtrs)  247 feet (75.3 mtrs)
 Slope:  -0.6°  0.6°
 Landing Distance:  2,377 metres  2,377 metres 
 Take-off Distance:  2,377 metres  2,377 metres
 Lighting System:  HIRL / HIALS / PAPI   HIRL / HIALS / PAPI 

 Runway:  13  31 
 True Heading:    134.73°  314.77°
 Latitude (THR):  35° 51' 23.13" N   35° 50' 06.50" N 
 Longitude (THR):  014° 28' 43.76" E   014° 30' 18.71" N
 Elevation (THR):  256 feet (78.0 mtrs)  230 feet (70.1 mtrs)
 Slope:  -0.2°  0.2°
 Landing Distance:  3,544 metres  3,555 metres 
 Take-off Distance:  3,544 metres  3,744 metres 
 Lighting System:  CL / HIRL / HIALS / PAPI  CL / HIRL / HIALS / PAPI
 LLZ - ILS (CAT 1):    LQ / 109.7 MHz   LM / 110.5 MHz 
 GP:  LQ / 333.2 MHz  LM / 329.6 MHz 


Aprons/Parking Areas

Malta International Airport has nine designated aprons/parking areas for aircraft:

  • Arpon 1 - parking area for General Aviation (light aircraft) of less than 7,000-kgs MTOW (12 parking stands). [CHART] 

  • Apron 2 - parking area for aircraft normally associated with maintenance facilities, though it could also be used by aircraft up to Code C for normal passenger operations (6 parking stands). [CHART]

  • Apron 3 - parking area for Military visitors and General Aviation aircraft up to Code B (9 parking stands). [CHART]

  • Apron 4 - parking area for commercial and General Aviation aircraft up to code D, usually on long-stay (5 parking stands). [CHART]

  • Apron 5 - in disuse, but parking is subject to M.I.A. concessions and limitations.

  • Apron 7 - military apron, Headquarters of the Air Wing of the Armed Forces of Malta.

  • Apron 8 - parking area for commercial aircraft up to code D (6 parking stands). [CHART]

  • Apron 9 - main apron for the parking for commercial aircraft up to code F (24 parking stands, can accommodate 14 to 18 aircraft depending on their size). [CHART]

  • LTM Apron - reserved for aircraft undergoing maintenance at Lufthansa Technik Malta only. [CHART]


- ICAO Aircraft Code Letter Designations:

Code

Wingspan 

Outer main gear wheel span* 

B

15m up to not including 24m

4.5m up to but not including 6m

C

24m up to but not including 36m

6m up to but not including 9m

D

36m up to but not including 52m

9m up to but not including 14m

F

65m up to but not including 80m

14m up to but not including 16m

* distance between the outside edges of the main gear wheels

Handling Services and Facilities

Handling Operators:

Air Malta, Globe Aviation Malta, Medavia, DC Aviation

Cargo-handling facilities: Lift-trucks, cargo loaders, various vehicles and equipment
Fuel types: JET A1 and AVGAS 100LL
Fuelling facilities/capacity: Various fuelling trucks, provided by Enemalta Corporation; JET A1: 390,000 litres capacity (storage for 1,210,000 litres); AVGAS 100LL: 75,000 litres capacity
Hangar space for visiting aircraft: None
Repair facilities for visiting aircraft:

Rescue & Fire Fighting Services

Category for fire fighting:  CAT 9 (24 hours) 
Rescue/Fire Fighting Equipment:
  • 1 x Fiat Ducato Rescue Van
  • 2 x Fiat Ducato Ambulances
  • 2 x Fire Fighting Nissan Trailer Pump
  • 1 x Stretcher Trolley
  • 3 x Rosenbauer Panther Fire Fighting Vehicles
  • 1 x Simon Gloster Saro Meteor Fire Fighting Vehicle
Capability for removal of disable aircraft:  Various tools are available

Operation Control Communication (OPC) frequencies

 121.700 MHz  Airport Emergency Services 
 131.400 MHz  Medavia Operations
 131.450 MHz  Air Malta Operations
 131.550 MHz  Malta International Airport Operations              
 131.650 MHz  Air Malta Engineering
 131.675 MHz  Servisair/Globeground Operations
 131.850 MHz  European Flight Academy
 131.965 MHz  Air Malta Ground Handling

Glossary

  • AMSL: Above mean sea level
  • CAT: Category
  • CL: Centre Line
  • DST: Daylight Saving Time
  • GP: Glide Path
  • HIALS: High Intensity Approach Lighting
  • HIRL: High Intensity Runway Lighting
  • ILS: Instrument Landing System
  • LLZ: Localizer
  • MHz: Mega Hertz
  • MTOW: Maximum Take-Off Weight
  • PAPI: Precision Approach Path Indicator
  • PCN: Pavement Classification Number
  • RWY: Runway 
  • THR: Treshold
  • UTC: Coordinated Universal Time (or GMT or Zulu)

Disclaimer Note: All above information is hereby being given as an ease of reference ONLY and is NOT suitable for any flight-planning from/to Malta or whatsoever.

Source: Malta International Airport plc & Directorate of Civil Aviation (Malta).