Malta-registered aircraft fly to over 170 countries and generate 14 million tonnes of CO₂ emissions

Malta’s aircraft registry continued its rapid ascent in 2024.

A new Central Bank of Malta discussion paper written by Central Bank Economist and Technical Attaché for Maritime and Aviation Affairs at Malta’s Permanent Representation to the European Union Kurt Sant  shows that aircraft flying under the Maltese flag operated nearly 804,000 flights across the globe last year, reaching over 1,500 airports in more than 170 countries. Only 25 countries worldwide saw no Maltese-flagged movement in 2024.

But the registry’s remarkable reach carries a growing environmental cost: 14.39 million metric tonnes of CO₂ were emitted by Maltese-flagged aircraft in 2024 alone, the analysis finds.

By the end of 2024, Malta’s register had expanded to 913 aircraft, supported by an economic and regulatory framework that continues to attract commercial airlines, cargo operators, ACMI providers, and private jet companies.

In 2024 alone, these operators:

• Completed 803,994 flights
• Travelled 1,020 million kilometres
• Consumed 4,554 million kilogrammes of fuel

The registry’s reach is heavily driven by major players such as Malta Air (Ryanair Group), Wizz Air Malta, Avion Express Malta and VistaJet, though more than 180 entities worldwide made use of Maltese-registered aircraft throughout the year.

Where Maltese-flagged aircraft flew – and didn’t fly – in 2024

The report’s dataset shows that Malta-registered aircraft operated in virtually every major world region, performing:

• 648,972 intra-European flights
• 40,546 intra-North American flights
• 35,511 Europe–Asia flights
• 28,654 intra-Asia flights

Despite this global coverage, only 25 countries were not reached by Malta-flagged aircraft during the year:

Countries unreachable due to conflict, instability, or sanctions (10): Belarus, Russia, Ukraine, Afghanistan, Niger, North Korea, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Yemen.

Countries without airports (5): Andorra, Liechtenstein, Monaco, San Marino, Vatican City.

Countries not served despite accessibility (10): Eritrea, Kiribati, Lesotho, Liberia, Micronesia, Nauru, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Vanuatu.

These findings illustrate that Malta’s aviation footprint is truly global – spanning almost every continent and major aviation market.

The report dedicates a full section to estimating the carbon footprint of the 2024 flight activity. Using ICAO methodology, the author calculates:

• 4,554 million kg of fuel burned
• 14,390 million kg (14.39 million tonnes) of CO₂ emitted

Emissions by aircraft type (2024):

Civil passenger aircraft dominate emissions simply because they perform the overwhelming majority of flights (92 per cent). But the paper notes that private jets remain far more polluting per passenger, with some business jets emitting over 10 times more CO₂ per passenger than commercial aircraft on equivalent routes.

Aviation growth vs environmental responsibilities

Malta’s aviation ecosystem is now a major contributor to economic activity, but its expanding global footprint requires greater regulatory capacity and environmental oversight.

The author argues that maintaining Malta’s competitiveness will require:

• More investment in regulatory authorities
• Stronger environmental compliance mechanisms
• Support for fleet modernisation and sustainable aviation fuel uptake

One proposal raised is the possibility of reinvesting part of government revenues from aviation ETS payments into training, innovation, and greener aviation initiatives.

The findings paint a clear picture: Malta’s aircraft registry is now an international aviation platform whose reach spans across 170+ countries and nearly every global region. Its operational scale is impressive – but so too is its environmental impact.

Balancing competitiveness with sustainability will be central to Malta’s aviation strategy in the years ahead, particularly as the EU accelerates decarbonisation policies and global scrutiny on aviation emissions intensifies.