Lauda Europe (LW, Malta International) has received its Air Operator's Certificate (AOC) from Transport Malta, the Director General of the authority, Charles Pace, said on September 5.
The official register of airlines certified in Malta has yet to reflect the event.
The new Maltese subsidiary of Ryanair Holdings, which is due to replace Austria-based Lauda (Vienna) by the beginning of the Winter 2020/21 season, has already taken delivery of three A320-200s transferred from its predecessor, now registered as 9H-LMG (msn 4603), 9H-LMH (msn 5015), and 9H-LMP (msn 3616). All three Airbus aircraft remain parked at Vienna for the time being.
Lauda Europe is due to take over all thirty A320-200s from Lauda, which will be closed once the transfer is completed. The Irish parent said that Maltese labour laws allow its subsidiary to operate more flexibly across the whole of Europe in comparison to Austrian rules. Lauda Europe will exclusively operate as a capacity provider for Ryanair (FR, Dublin International) and will not fly under its own code.