Air Malta has introduced a new 180-seat Airbus A320neo into its fleet.
The aircraft has been branded with cartoon characters to promote a Nickelodeon treasure hunt taking place on the Maltese islands on April 13-18, 2019.
The partnership with media giant Viacom will see a week of Nickelodeon activities, including a character parade, as well as a child friendly treasure hunt and workshops.
Air Malta is the 21st airline to be flying the new generation A320 with CFM engines.
The carrier’s chairman Charles Mangion said: “Thanks to its new state of the art aerodynamics and new generation engines the Neo offers unbeatable efficiency and environmental performance.
“On a Malta-London Heathrow flight, the airline will save up to 1.3 tons of fuel per trip, 6,200 tons of CO2 per year and a 24% reduction of CO2 emission per seat.
“Designed with the latest cabin features offering more cabin space and comfort, the aircraft also produces a 50% less noise footprint than the A320ceo.”
Malta tourism minister Konrad Mizzi added: “The arrival of the Neo marks and important step in the airline’s history and development.
“Apart from enhanced fuel and environmental performance the aircraft fits perfectly with the airline’s current fleet of A320ceos delivering seamless operation integration and also costs savings in terms of training of engineers and pilots.
“This type of aircraft will pave the way for a more modern Air Malta aircraft fleet and assist the airline to become the ‘Airline of the Mediterranean’.”