Malta International Airport is at Luqa, right in the middle of the island, so nothing is ever far from it. One terminal, small, and easy to get through. The one problem is how busy it gets at peak summer departure times for its size.
If you are landing late, carrying cases or heading somewhere the bus reaches slowly, a transfer is booked before you fly.
Landing and getting away
Everything is on one level
Immigration, baggage reclaim and customs all sit on the same floor and the walk is short. You come out into the Welcomers Hall. The Malta Public Transport sales office, the white taxi desk and the car hire counters are all there.
Bolt, Uber and eCabs do not pick up outside arrivals. They collect from a separate marked zone a few minutes away on foot. A lot of people miss this.
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The bus is the cheapest way in
Routes run straight to Valletta, Sliema, St Julian’s, Buġibba and the south. A single is €2.50 in summer and €2.00 in winter. It stays valid for two hours.
It is hard work with a lot of luggage and slow at peak times, but nothing else comes close on price.
How the buses work
Collecting a hire car
Almost everybody who hires a car in Malta collects it at the airport rather than in town. Most of the companies here are local rather than international chains. That is why the daily rates are low by European standards.
The excess is where the real difference between cheap and expensive hire sits, not the daily rate. Photograph the car before you drive off, including the roof and the wheels, and confirm whether taking it to Gozo is allowed.
What to check before you bookLocalrent list the airport as Luka, which is their spelling of Luqa.
Leave more time than you think in summer
The airport handles a very concentrated summer peak. Check-in and security queues at the busy morning and evening banks are far longer than the size of the building suggests.
Allow the full recommended time in July and August rather than the time it took you on the way in. Coming from Gozo, add the ferry queue on top.
Ferry timings
The terminal is small and easy
There is one terminal, the signs are clear and everything is in English. If you have been through any large European hub, this will feel like a relief.
There are shops and places to eat past security, but not many, so do not plan a long meal there.
Know before you go
All four ways into town
The options
- Bus
- By far the cheapest. Routes serve Valletta, Sliema, St Julian’s, Buġibba and the south directly. A single is €2.50 in summer and €2.00 in winter, valid two hours. Awkward with a lot of luggage and slow at peak times.
- White taxi
- Fixed-fare zones, displayed at the rank and paid at the desk before you travel. No meter and no negotiating, which makes it the predictable choice.
- Bolt, Uber or eCabs
- Usually cheaper than a white taxi, priced in the app, and picked up from the marked ride-hail zone rather than the kerb outside arrivals.
- Pre-booked transfer
- A driver waiting in arrivals with a price agreed in advance. Worth it late at night, with children, or with a lot of bags.
Drivers who come up to you in the arrivals hall offering a fixed price are not operating legitimately. The fare is usually well above the official rate. Use the white taxi desk, the marked ride-hail zone, or a driver you booked in advance holding a name board. Nothing else.
Arrivals, departures, check-in desks and terminal services are published by Malta International Airport.
Who flies here
Malta has its own national airline, KM Malta Airlines, which took over from Air Malta in March 2024. Everything else that lands here is a foreign carrier. Most of the cheap seats come from Ryanair, Wizz Air and easyJet, and the European flag carriers fly the rest.
KM Malta AirlinesNational airline
Aegean Airlines
Aer Lingus
airBaltic
Air France
Air Serbia- AAAtlantic Airways
British Airways
Delta Air Lines- EeasyJet
Emirates
Eurowings
ITA Airways
Jet2
LOT Polish Airlines
Lufthansa- LLuxair
Norwegian- QAQatar Airways
Ryanair
SAS
Swiss
Transavia
TUI Fly
Tunisair Express
Turkish Airlines
Volotea- VVueling
Wizz Air
Checked 4 September 2026 against the airline directory at Malta International Airport. Routes are seasonal, so check the airport arrivals board before you plan around one.
Two things worth knowing on the way out. If checkout is at ten and your flight is in the evening, luggage storage in town costs a few euro. It frees up your whole last day. And if the flight home is cancelled or lands three hours late, that is a cancelled flight you can claim compensation for.
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