The entry requirements of the Republic of Malta, which have been in effect since Wednesday, are causing increasing problems for the state airline Air Malta. In the meantime you don't even know how many passengers you expect per flight, because the no-show rate should be extremely high.

The customer group that simply does not take their paid flights is less of a problem for the carrier than those who cancel their tickets and want their money back. A spokesman said on request that one has since Becoming aware of the new entry rules, i.e. since July 9, 2021, has received around 6.000 cancellations. The new bookings are also said to have broken into the basement.

In addition, Malta has instructed all airlines that fly to Luqa Airport that proof of full vaccination or, in strictly defined exceptional cases, the negative PCR result, must be viewed before departure. Alternatively, a special permit from the Ministry of Health can be presented. Those who cannot do that are not allowed to get on board.

Boarding often has to be denied

With some holidaymakers, word of the new entry rules has not yet got around or the naive assumption prevails that they have already booked and are therefore not affected. A mistake, because in many cases the transport has to be refused. In the UK the two turn out to be different AstraZeneca variants as an additional problem, because Malta has apparently overlooked the fact that the United Kingdom inoculated both the "original version" and the Indian license production.

At Air Malta, the phones are getting really hot. This was also confirmed by a spokeswoman and also said that most of the callers want to cancel their tickets and want to get their money back. What effects this will have on the further course of the flight plan cannot be foreseen at the moment. According to the spokesman, adjustments to the route network could possibly be made, but nothing is fixed yet.

There are currently an unpredictable number of no-shows

In this context, the no-shows come into play. These are passengers who have paid tickets but do not use them. In normal times, airlines expect around ten percent no-shows. The proportion is higher for low costers, which sell to a large extent at single-digit euro prices. At Air Malta, the quota is said to be extremely high due to the new entry regulations, although no exact figures were given. In any case, the bookings sold and the number of passengers boarding the plane would be very different. The new entry regulations of the Republic of Malta stipulate that only people who are fully vaccinated against the coronavirus may enter without quarantine. In certain exceptional cases, which must be approved in advance by the Ministry of Health, a negative PCR test may be sufficient. If there is no special permit, a 14-day hotel quarantine must be undertaken. For accommodation - without hospitality - and the mandatory PCR test will be required more than 1.500 euros due. This will deter tourists and the economy, which is heavily dependent on tourism, is likely to suffer massively.