VistaJet, the world's leading Global aviation company, celebrated the official inauguration of its new operations in Malta. Prime Minister, Dr Joseph Muscat, the Minister of Tourism and Maltese officials from the Civil Aviation Directorate and Transport Malta joined VistaJet Founder and Chairman Thomas Flohr, company executives and Malta office employees to mark the occasion.
The company has established its Malta office at the Skyparks Centre within the Malta International Airport. Over 75 employees work in the Malta office. Thomas Flohr revealed that the company is set to register up to 40 new private jets in Malta over the next few years. VistaJet was founded in 2004, and currently owns over 35 aircraft, all built by Canadian company Bombardier.
VistaJet's global strategy of connecting its customers to every corner of the world with point-to-point coverage has made it the clear market leader with unparalleled experience flying in to, and out of, the hardest-to-reach destinations. The fleet of Bombardier aircraft are based across Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and West Africa. Multilingual staff is based in VistaJet offices across the globe.
Malta as a Hub for Aviation
Entry to the European Union and recent changes in the legislative framework has changed the Maltese position in the Aviation sector with new rules and saw the increase in the introduction of players in the aviation sector relocating to Malta. The small island has already attracted various major players to its jurisdiction. The leading aviation company Lufthansa Technik has become the world’s leading OEM-independent provider of aircraft maintenance repair and overhaul services of optimal quality and reliability.
VistaJet Founder and CEO Mr. Flohr commented during the occasion of their Malta operations inauguration: "VistaJet leads the industry in offering the world's most modern platform large cabin jets. As we continue to grow our fleet, we expand our international footprint in parallel. In addition to being an excellent geo-strategic location for our European operations centre, Malta boasts a solid English-speaking workforce as well as efficient infrastructure backed by a very service-oriented government that is focused on growing the aviation industry presence on the island."
"The presence of Prime Minister, Dr Joseph Muscat, at today's opening ceremony underlines the high level of commitment towards the success of the Malta aviation growth initiative. We are confident that this was the right move for our company," continued Flohr.
Nick van der Meer, Accountable Manager for VistaJet added: "We've recently completed the transition of several operation teams to Malta, gathering key functions under one roof, essentially creating a nucleus for all activity that directly touches our fleet of aircraft. The local support we've received throughout the critical set-up and launch phase of this move has been fantastic and key to on-time completion of this project".
Malta’s success in attracting such prestigious companies has been further reinforced through the coming into force of the Aircraft Registration Act on the 1st October 2010. This Act has amended the Civil Code and the Code of Organisation & Civil Procedure. The Act also implements the provisions of the Cape Town Convention on International Interests in Mobile Equipment and its Aircraft Protocol which is well known for its benefits to banks and aircraft leasing.