The Country

Geography:
The Republic of Malta is a small island archipelago located in the central Mediterranean Sea. It is situated roughly mid-way between Italy and Libya, although Sicily is only 93 km (58 miles) to the north. Malta consists of three main islands: Malta, Gozo (Ghawdex) and Comino (Kemmuna) plus two small uninhabited islands. The islands have heavily indented rocky coastlines with low hills in the interior. The archipeligo occupies a total land area of 316 km2 (122 sq. miles) and has a population of 374,000 inhabitants (2000 estimate). The capital city and main port is Valletta on the main island of Malta.

National History:
Summary Narrative History

Key Dates:
6-8000 BC		Many prehistoric megaliths erected on Malta.
C. 900 BC		Malta colonised by the Phoenicians. Subsequently controlled by the Carthaginians and then the Greeks.
C. 218 BC		Malta captured by the Romans. Malta later formed part of the Byzantine Empire.
870 AD		Malta overrun by Arab (Saracen) forces.
1090 AD		Malta taken by the Norman Kingdom of Sicily.
1530		Malta given to the Knights Hospitallers of St John by the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V.
1565		The Knights on Malta hold out against a Turkish siege.
June 1798		Malta is occupied French forces under Napoleon Bonaparte.
1800		British forces capture Malta from the French.
1814		Malta is recognised as a British colony in the Treaty of Paris.
1921		Malta receives dominion government.
1933		Malta reverts to the status of Crown Colony.
1941-1942		Malta is besieged and fiercely bombarded by German and Italian aircraft.
15 April 1942		George Cross medal awarded to the island for gallantry in World War 2.
September 1947		Internal self-government for Malta established.
21 September 1964		Malta achieves full independence within the British Commonwealth.
1965		Malta becomes a member of the United Nations.
1971		The Maltese Labour party takes power. A policy of non-alignment is adopted. Close relations with China and Libya are developed.
13 December 1974		Malta becomes a Republic.
31 March 1979		Withdrawal of the last British military presence from Malta.
August 1980		Ties with Libya ended due to territorial dispute.
1987		The pro-western Maltese Nationalist party regains power.

Further National Information:
Yahoo Malta page
War, Peace & Security Malta Page

Civil Aircraft Registrations:
Under the British Empire, the registration sequence VP-Mxx was used from 1929. After independence, the registration prefix 9H-xxx was formally allocated in 1968, eg: 9H-AAG. There is a civil aircraft register listing here. [A full listing can also be found in Air-Britain 'Archive' magazine issues 1-3/1995, 2/1996 and 3/1999].

Military Air Arms:
Air Force (Armed Forces of Malta No.2 Regiment Air Squadron)
Libyan Air Force detachment
Italian Air Force detachment

Central Government Agencies:
None at present.

Public Service Aviation:
To be added

Commercial Aviation:
Air Malta - link!

Private Aviation:
To be added

Aircraft Manufacturers:
None at present

Airports, Airfields and Air Bases:
Civil Airports and Airfields-
Luqa International Airport
Military Air Bases and Airfields-
Military Air Bases Listing

Aviation Museums:
Several - including the Malta Aviation Museum at Ta'Qali.

Aviation-Related Magazines:
Malta Aviation Magazines Guide

Aviation Bibliography:
Malta Aviation Bibliography - to be added

Web Links:

Aviation in Malta

The Malta Aviation Society

Malta International Airshow

Mark S Stephenson's Malta Aviation Page

FLIGHTLINE - Aviation Website