Ryanair (FR, Dublin International) has confirmed that its Maltese subsidiary Malta Air (MAY, Malta International) will take over its parent's bases in France, Germany, and Italy.
"This start-up will grow our Maltese operation from six to ten based aircraft over the next three years. It will also operate all our French, German and Italian bases," the Irish LCC said in a quarterly earnings release.
CEO Michael O'Leary added during an investor's call that the expectation is that "other EU airline failures and sales" will "accelerate" Malta Air's growth.
He underlined that following their transfer to Malta Air, all staff at the French, German, and Italian bases will be employed under local labour laws and tax codes.
According to the ch-aviation fleets module, Malta Air currently operates eleven B737-800s all of which have been transferred from its parent. Flightradar24 ADS-B data indicates that the aircraft are based out of Bordeaux Mérignac (two units), Marseilles (two), Cologne/Bonn (five), and Karlsruhe/Baden-Baden (two). Malta Air will start taking over services from Malta International itself during the Winter 2019/20 season.
