MINISTRY FOR COMPETITIVENESS AND COMMUNICATIONS
Call for proposals for airlines to operate new routes to and from Malta
Service Concession Issued by the Government of Malta
(approved by the European Commission)
Article 1- Objective of the call
The Government of Malta would like to expand the country’s air links with European destinations.
For this purpose, the Government of Malta is issuing this call which is aimed at the creation of air routes that will link
(two-way) the Malta International Airport (MIA) with any of the following airports by means of scheduled air services> any
airport in the Iberian Peninsula (Spain and Portugal), any airport in Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland<
Bari (Italy)< Bremen
(Germany).
Article 2 - Splitting up into lots
Lot no 1> creation, promotion and development of a new air route servicing MIA to any airport in the Iberian Peninsula
(Spain and Portugal).
Lot no 2> creation, promotion and development of a new air route servicing MIA to any airport in Sweden.
Lot no 3> creation, promotion and development of a new air route servicing MIA to any airport in Norway.
Lot no 4> creation, promotion and development of a new air route servicing MIA to any airport in Denmark.
Lot no 5> creation, promotion and development of a new air route servicing MIA to any airport in Finland.
Lot no 6> creation, promotion and development of a new air route servicing MIA to Bari, Italy.
Lot no 7> creation, promotion and development of a new air route servicing MIA to Bremen, Germany.
Each candidate may submit an offer for one, several or all lots. All requirements stipulated hereunder must be provided
per lot.
Article 3 - Qualification as a ‘new air route’
A route qualifies as a new route for the purposes of this call if it meets all of the following criteria>
a) the proposed route is promoted and#or sold as a destination not already served from the airport and follows IATA city
pair designations
b) a route that will increase the network coverage and traffic base at the MIA
c) a route that has not been served by the same airline (or by an European air carrier) within the previous year.
d) a route that has registered 250 aircraft movements or less (approximately 4 aircraft movements per week) on a yearround
basis will qualify as a new air route.
e) a route may be considered where an operator proposes to extend existing services from and to the identified airports
from a seasonal to a year round basis, extending the frequencies to a daily operation on a year round basis. Only the additional
services will be eligible for support.
f) new services which involve switching capacity from one airport in the country to another of the country’s airports will
not qualify for support. Financing will not be provided to an airline for a new route that it is operating in substitution for, and
following the abandonment of, an old route. Financing will not be granted for a route provided by the airline to replace
another route that it had previously served from another airport located in the same economic attraction zone or population
centre. Financing cannot be granted to help a new entrant to open links that already exist and to enter into competition with
an existing operator already working on that same route from and to the same airports.
g) no retrospective application can be made for support if a route has already been announced.
Article 4 – Detail of new route scheme
This route development scheme for Malta has been approved by the European Commission.
The scheme will provide for start-up costs, specific route marketing and promotion of the route but will not finance
recurring operating costs such as aircraft rental or depreciation, fuel, ground handling expenses, crew salaries or catering
service costs.
The amount granted to an airline for the development of air services shall be calculated per passenger embarking from the
non-Malta airport and landing directly in Malta. It will only be paid on point to point lines with no stop over.
The requested
financing must be degressive on the basis of the number of passengers achieved. The payment will be provided in Malta’s
official currency.
Intensity and duration>
Degressive funding will be granted for a maximum period of five years. The amount of the financing
in any one year may not exceed 50% of total relevant eligible costs under the scheme for that year and total funds may not
exceed an average of 40% of eligible costs. If the financing is granted for five years, it may be maintained at 50% of total
eligible costs for the initial three years. In any event, the financing period must be substantially less than the period during
which the airline undertakes to operate from the airport in question, as indicated in the business plan submitted in line with
the scheme.
The amount provided will take into account other agreements or incentives reached or will possibly be reached by the
airport operators to attract new traffic carried by the air carrier.
The support provided will be withdrawn if the air carrier does not abide by Malta’s civil aviation regulations.
Article 7 - Selection criteria
All submissions will be evaluated against the ‘Community Guidelines on financing of airports and start-up aid to airlines
departing from regional airports’ (OJ C 312#2005).
Submissions which do not provide the sufficient technical, professional and relevant financial guarantees and those which
do not include the documents requested above, or which do not reach the Ministry for Competitiveness and Communication
by the date and time fixed for the submission of offers, will not be considered.
The preliminary selection criteria will be on the eligibility of the applicant. Offers which are not in conformity with the
objective and requirements of the call will be eliminated and the remaining offers will be evaluated and ranked on the basis
of the criteria outlined below.
The criteria to be followed in determining an economically advantageous offer for each route are set out below.
1 . Technical value> quality and suitability of technical, commercial, marketing, sales and human resources made available
for the development of the route(s), expected results> 40%
2. Financial value> amount of the financing requested per passenger> 40%
3. Date of route start-up> 20%
The Government of Malta retains the right to request further information or clarifications from the applicant at any stage
of the evaluation process and may engage in discussions#negotiations with the potential beneficiaries identified through the
evaluation procedure, whilst respecting the evaluation procedure.
Article 8 - Ranking of offers and awarding of route(s)
8.1 The offers received and deemed to be eligible will be evaluated on the basis of the criteria outlined in Article 7. The
financing provided to operate a route will be subject to budget availability. The evaluation committee may decide not to
award a route to any of the air carriers and may also decide not to award a route even to the most economically advantageous
offer.
8.2 Before starting operations the applicant airline should file for slot applications with Slot Co-ordination Malta at Malta
International Airport. The financing provided to operate a route will only be awarded to an air carrier on the premise that the
latter will provide, in the time allowed to it by the Government of Malta, documentary evidence that it has obtained the
required slot allocations at Malta International Airport and the other relevant airport(s).
Air carriers not established in Malta may be requested to produce a certificate issued by the administration or bodies of the
country of origin indicating that the air carrier has fulfilled its fiscal and social obligations. Where such a certificate is not
delivered by the country concerned, it can be replaced by a sworn declaration, or in those states where such a sworn declaration
does not exist, by a solemn declaration made by the air carrier in front of the competent judicial or administrative authority,
a notary or qualified professional body of the country.
8.3 A contract stipulating the amount of financing to be granted per passenger and the plan to be implemented by the air
carrier, including the number of guaranteed passengers, will be signed by the air carrier and the Government of Malta,
following discussions, if and where necessary.
8.4 The air carrier will be responsible for the implementation of the plan and for developing the new air route as approved
for the eligibility and receipt of the financing.
8.5 The agreement between the Government of Malta and the air carrier may be terminated by either of the signing parties
by registered letter with acknowledgement of receipts sent to the other party subject to twelve consecutive months notice
before the service interruption date.
Article 11 - Financing modalities and penalties
Payment will be made after the signing of the contract and on the basis of performance. The payment will be made on a
quarterly basis. For payment to be effected, the air carrier operating the new route(s) is to submit proof of the start-up costs
to the Government of Malta in relation to the unfolding of the plan as laid out in the original submissions and that the volumes
stipulated in the contract were carried from and to the identified route(s). The Government of Malta will issue payment pro
rata to the achieved implementation of the plan but not exceeding the stipulated amounts established in the contract. No
payment will be made by the Government of Malta to the air carrier if less than 50% of the stipulated volumes were carried.
The payment of the scheme will be made by via bank transfer.
27th April, 2007
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Ecco qui il "bando" pubblicato sulla "Gazzetta Ufficiale" Maltese del 27 aprile.
Mi ricorda molto il bando AdP, anche se:
1. Non butta i soldi a pioggia in quanto i finanziamenti sono mirati
2. Finanzia tutti e cinque gli anni (Adp 3!), ma con parametri decrescenti
Cmq la somiglianza e la tempistica sono starordinari!
Ma la notizia migliore è che per i collegamenti verso l'Italia non figura la formula "any airport in Italy", ma BARI!!!![^]
Kissà perchè poi??? Cmq non lamentiamoci!!!