Editorial: Malta’s aviation hub ambitions

Small economies face a shared challenge: the diversification of economic activities to reduce the risks of a slump arising from a decline in one particular sector. It is, therefore, not unusual for policymakers to redefine their strategies aimed at promoting investment in new economic activities.

In a presentation to a national aviation conference, former European commissioner and chair of the aviation advisory committee, Karmenu Vella, launched a new aviation strategy that seeks sustainable growth within the industry by “striking the right balance between economic, social and environmental dimensions”.

The policy has five strategic pillars, including “capacity building”. One of the “imminent needs” identified in the new aviation strategy is the investment to make Malta “a training hub for the industry”.

So, what is new in this revived strategic plan? If one strips the usual glitzy buzzwords and obvious public relations focus found in most strategic documents, the idea of promoting Malta as a hub for aviation services is not new. In 2015, then tourism minister Edward Zammit Lewis told the 4th Annual Mediterranean Business Aviation conference that “the government acknowledges the...