Aviation & Ships Spotting in Malta
Anything from Civil & Military Aviation to Naval Vessels
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: |
|
| 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)
