The key answers about Malta Airport: getting there, terminal, car hire, taxis, parking and flights, concise and quotable.
Malta Airport lies about 5 km south-west of Valletta in a straight line, between the villages of Luqa and Gudja. The road journey is a little longer, about 8 km, and takes roughly 15 to 20 minutes outside the rush hour.
The Airport Direct bus TD4 runs every 30 minutes from Malta Airport to Valletta for €3 per passenger, paid in cash or by contactless card on board. The ordinary route 88 also links the airport with Valletta at the standard bus fare. A taxi to Valletta was listed at €17 per vehicle in the last fare table published by the airport.
Two Airport Direct routes serve the area: TD3 runs to St Julian's, Sliema, Gżira and Msida, and TD2 runs to St Julian's, Paceville and Pembroke. Both leave Malta Airport every 30 minutes, according to Malta Public Transport, and cost €3 per passenger.
Airport Direct TD1 and TD5 both run from Malta Airport to Buġibba by way of Rabat, each about once an hour. TD1 costs €3.50 and continues to Mellieħa and Ċirkewwa; TD5 costs €3 and also stops in St Paul's Bay. The ordinary route 214 covers the same corridor with more stops.
Airport Direct TD1 runs about once an hour from Malta Airport to the ferry terminal at Ċirkewwa for €3.50, and the car ferry of Gozo Channel crosses from there to Mġarr on Gozo. A foot passenger pays €4.65 for the round trip. The alternative is TD4 to the fast ferry at Lascaris in Valletta.
€4.65 is the standard passenger fare of Gozo Channel and €15.70 the fare for a car with its driver, each covering the round trip. Tickets are checked only at Mġarr on Gozo, on the way back, and the company takes no reservations: boarding is first come, first served.
€3 per passenger is the fare on the Airport Direct routes TD2, TD3, TD4 and TD5, and €3.50 on TD1. Ordinary day routes cost €2.00 in winter, a fare valid from 18 October 2026 to 12 June 2027, and €2.50 in summer; the ticket is valid for two hours including changes.
No, Malta Public Transport withdrew the routes X1, X2, X3 and X4 on 20 April 2025. The Airport Direct routes TD1 to TD4 and several ordinary routes, among them 88, 205, 208 and 214, replaced them; TD5 followed on 27 July 2025.
Malta Public Transport runs a sales office in the Welcomers' Hall of Malta Airport, open daily from 08:00 to 19:30, and two ticket machines that work around the clock, one outside the office and one beside the bus stop. Single tickets are also sold by the driver, for cash or by contactless card.
The Explore Flex card for seven days costs €27 and covers day routes, night routes, special services and the Airport Direct buses on Malta and Gozo; the four-day version costs €21. Children aged 4 to 10 travel for seven days with the Explore Child card at €7, and children under 4 travel free.
€20 per vehicle was the fare to Sliema, St Julian's, Paceville and Gżira in the last table the airport published, which was online until spring 2026. The airport has since replaced the table with a link to the fare calculator of Malta Taxi, so confirm the price before the ride.
€37 per vehicle was the last published fare from Malta Airport to Ċirkewwa, the same as to Marfa and Armier. Mellieħa was listed at €33 and Buġibba, Qawra and St Paul's Bay at €28.
Yes, Malta Airport operates around the clock, and several services follow suit: the luggage deposit in the Check-in Hall, the observation deck and the bus ticket machines are available 24 hours a day.
Yes, Wi-Fi is free throughout Malta Airport on the network named Maltairport Wi-Fi; users tick the terms and conditions in the browser and connect. Charging points are spread over the Check-in Hall, the food court and the departures area.
Yes, the luggage deposit in the Check-in Hall of Malta Airport, near the Customer Services Information Centre, is open 24 hours a day. A bag costs €5 for up to 12 hours and €10 for up to 24 hours; bulky items cost €10 and €15. Payment is made on collection.
Yes, flights from the United Kingdom arrive from outside the Schengen area, so passengers pass through passport control at Malta Airport. The UK government states that travellers may have to register fingerprints and a photo under the EU's Entry/Exit System, and that visits without a visa are limited to 90 days in any 180-day period.
With some companies, yes: most international brands at Malta Airport block a deposit on a credit card, but several local firms accept debit cards. Our partner's comparison has a filter for offers that can be booked without a credit card and shows the deposit on every offer.
The car hire offices are on Level 1 (lower) of the Park East car park, a separate building about three minutes on foot from the terminal of Malta Airport. Signs and floor markings reading RENTAL CARS lead there from the Welcomers' Hall.
Malta drives on the left, as the United Kingdom does, and road signs are in English. A UK photocard driving licence can be used in Malta, according to the UK government's travel advice.
The first 10 minutes are free in every car park of Malta Airport. In the surface car parks and in Park East a stay of up to an hour costs €2.50 and 24 hours cost €25, and every further day or part of a day costs €40.
Yes, drivers may stop at the areas marked Passenger Drop-Off opposite arrivals and departures for as long as unloading takes. For a proper goodbye the main car park is free for the first 10 minutes.
No, maltaairport.eu is an independent information site with no connection to the operator Malta International Airport plc, the transport authority or any airline. Binding information on flights, baggage and security comes only from the operator and the airlines.
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