Aviation Industry in Malta

Malta has seen massive growth in businesses operations within various sectors, such as:

• Maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) for both fixed-wing and rotary aircraft
• Flight training including flight simulation
• Component manufacture
• R&D and innovation on unmanned aerial vehicles
• Back-office support and call centre operations
• ICT & Financial Services for the aviation industry

This investment focuses on the Safi Aviation Park (SAP). Safi Aviation Park is a 240,000 sqm facility designed and dedicated to bringing the aviation cluster closer together, has provided better infrastructure to its tenants, especially within the MRO sector.

Medavia Technic, one of SAP’s occupants, has undergone exponential growth in the last twelve months and plans on investing a further €2 million in its hangars, equipment and tooling. Medavia Technic is one of many companies in Safi Aviation Park, from Lufthansa Technik, SR Technics, Medavia, Aeromaritime, DC Aviation, Air X, Aviation Cosmetics, Comlux, Gulf Helicopters and Simliner Malta Aviation Centre.

Why is the Aviation Industry in Malta Attractive?

Many reasons make the aviation industry in Malta so attractive from the logistics, regulations, support measures and incentives. Some of the advantages include:

1. Direct flights connect Malta International Airport (MLA) to most major European and regional cities with the majority of destinations being less than three hours flying time away.
2. Operated by CMA-CGM, the Malta Freeport is the 3rd largest in the Mediterranean, handling over 3.1m Twenty-foot equivalent units (TEU) annually.
3. The Cape Town Convention on International Interests in Mobile Equipment and Aircraft Protocols into Malta law. The primary aim of the Convention and the Protocol allows persons involved in cross border secured financing and aviation leasing transactions to benefit from increased predictability and certainty of rights and remedies.
4. Malta Enterprise provides a wide range of incentives to ensure that the setting-up process and ongoing operations of a facility in Malta are as cost-effective as possible. Incentives include:
   1. Access to Industrial Space
   2. Access to Finance
   3. Investment Aid
   4. Research and Development Schemes
   5. A full list of support measures is available here: https://www.maltaenterprise.com/support
5. Malta offers a tax residency programme to senior individuals within the Aviation Industry. The Highly Qualified Persons Rules Malta residence programme seeks to attract highly qualified persons in the financial, gaming and aviation sectors by offering a 15% flat rate of tax. Malta aims to develop into a fully-fledged aviation centre that supports the entire spectrum of aviation-related services. The objective of the Qualifying Employment in Aviation is to give a long-term vision to the sector to adequately equip the necessary operations with the skills required and control the limitations encountered due to limited availability of human resources.
6. For more information on the Highly Qualified Persons Rule in Aviation, read our article here:
7. The Maltese Government and Aviation business in Malta is collaborating with national educational institutions, such as MCAST, to provide tailor-made courses central in encouraging young people to enrol for courses which provide the necessary training in various areas related to aviation. Simultaneously, the Institute for Aerospace Technologies within the University of Malta is now offering the opportunity for students to specialise within the related fields of avionics, air traffic control, as well as aircraft maintenance.

If you’re looking at setting up an aviation company in Malta or taking advantage of Malta tax residence programmes, our qualified Malta Tax Advisors seek to maximise all of the opportunities available to you from the initial planning stages through to the commencement and continuation of services. Arrange a consultation by calling us on +356 2258 2000, or email us directly on enquiries@papilioservices.com and we will respond to you within 24 hours.