NoneMT 🇲🇹 Closed Airport
MT-0003
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- ft
MT-01
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Loading...GPS Code: Not available
Local Code: Not available
Location: 35.896914° N, 14.418733° E
Continent: EU
Type: Closed Airport
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The airfield officially closed on March 31, 1968, when the land was handed back to the Maltese government by the British military. However, major military flight operations had largely ceased by the early 1950s, shortly after the end of World War II.
Military Decommissioning. Originally built as a temporary satellite airfield for the Royal Air Force (RAF) during World War II, its strategic importance significantly diminished after the war. The RAF consolidated its operations in Malta at the larger and more permanent RAF Luqa (now Malta International Airport), rendering RAF Ta' Qali redundant.
The site has been completely transformed and no longer exists as an airport. It is now the Ta' Qali National Park, a major recreational and public space in Malta. The area houses several key facilities, including:
- The Malta National Stadium
- The Malta Aviation Museum, which is fittingly housed in original wartime hangars and showcases aircraft from the period.
- The Ta' Qali Crafts Village, where local artisans work and sell their products.
- The US Embassy in Malta.
- A large open-air concert venue.
- The national vegetable market ('Pitkalija').
While the runways have been removed, some of the original perimeter tracks and historic buildings have been preserved and integrated into the park's landscape.
Ta' Qali holds immense historical significance as a key British military airbase during World War II, known as RAF Ta' Qali. It was one of the most important fighter bases during the critical Siege of Malta (1940-1942). The airfield was home to legendary fighter squadrons flying Hawker Hurricanes and, most famously, Supermarine Spitfires. These aircraft and their pilots were instrumental in defending the island from intense and sustained Axis air attacks. The successful defense of Malta, in which Ta' Qali played a vital role, was a turning point in the North African campaign and crucial for Allied control of the Mediterranean. After the war, the disused airfield was also famously used as a circuit for motor racing.
There are zero plans or prospects for reopening Ta' Qali as an airport. The land has been permanently and extensively redeveloped into a vital national park, sports complex, and commercial hub. Reopening it would require the demolition of critical national infrastructure, including the national stadium and a foreign embassy. Malta's aviation needs are fully and adequately served by Malta International Airport (ICAO: LMML).