Malta Airport Smoking Areas

By , Author, Air Travel Writer · Updated

Malta’s only airport is Malta International Airport (MLA), at Luqa just south of Valletta, and it is a comparatively smoker-friendly stop: it keeps an open-air smoking terrace airside, past security, at the Gate 1 end of the departures concourse. That makes a Malta layover easier than at many European airports where smoking means exiting the secure zone.

For travel through the Maltese islands, Malta International (MLA) is the airport that matters — the hub of KM Malta Airlines and the country’s single gateway, handling around eight million passengers a year.

How Maltese Airport Smoking Works

Malta’s Tobacco (Smoking Control) Act bans smoking in enclosed public places, including the airport terminal, and enclosed indoor smoking rooms were removed nationwide in 2013 — open-air spaces sit outside the ban, so the airport’s smoking areas are all outdoor:

  • Airside smoking terrace at Malta International, past security, by Gate 1 near the Relish café
  • The La Valette Departures Lounge terrace also permits smoking, for passengers with access
  • Smoking is also at designated outdoor areas outside the terminal, landside
  • The enclosed terminal, check-in halls and gate areas are smoke-free
  • E-cigarettes follow the same enclosed-places ban — use the outdoor terraces and areas

The Hub

Malta International Airport (MLA). The Maltese islands’ single airport and KM Malta Airlines’ hub, at Luqa, handling around eight million passengers a year through one passenger terminal. Malta International’s smoking areas are all open-air: the airside terrace by Gate 1 past the Relish café (with a bar and cigarette vending machine), the La Valette lounge terrace for premium passengers, and marked outdoor areas outside the terminal for arrivals and pre-security smoking. Passengers flying to the UK or Ireland should smoke at the Gate 1 terrace before border control — there is no smoking area beyond the non-Schengen passport booths.

Tips for Smokers at Maltese Airports

  • Malta International keeps an airside smoking terrace by Gate 1 — you can smoke during a layover without exiting security
  • Flying to the UK or Ireland? Smoke before border control; the non-Schengen gate area has no smoking spot and no way back
  • Lounge access gets you the quieter La Valette terrace overlooking the airfield
  • E-cigarettes follow the same enclosed-places ban as tobacco — use the outdoor terraces and areas
  • Smoke landside at the designated outdoor areas outside the terminal entrances

Malta Airports Compared: Indoor, Outdoor & After Security

AirportAfter securityIndoor roomOutdoor area
Malta International Airport (MLA)Yes–Yes

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Frequently Asked Questions

Can you smoke at Malta International Airport (MLA)?

Yes — Malta International keeps an open-air smoking terrace airside, past security, at the Gate 1 end of the departures concourse by the Relish café, so passengers can smoke without leaving the secure zone. Designated outdoor areas outside the terminal cover landside smoking.

Is there a smoking area after security at Malta Airport?

Yes — the airside smoking area is an outdoor terrace by Gate 1, past the Relish café, with a bar and a cigarette vending machine. Passengers with La Valette Departures Lounge access can also smoke on the lounge’s outdoor terrace.

Can I smoke if I am flying from Malta to the UK or Ireland?

Smoke at the airside Gate 1 terrace before passing through border control — UK and Ireland gates sit in the non-Schengen area, there is no smoking area beyond the passport booths, and you cannot return once through.

Are e-cigarettes and vapes allowed at Maltese airports?

Malta’s smoke-free law covers e-cigarette use in enclosed public places, so vaping is not allowed inside the terminal — use the airside Gate 1 terrace or the outdoor areas landside, the same spots as cigarettes.

What is Malta's airport smoking law?

Malta’s Tobacco (Smoking Control) Act bans smoking in all enclosed public places, including the airport terminal, and the country removed enclosed indoor smoking rooms in 2013. Open-air spaces are outside the ban — which is why Malta International’s smoking areas are outdoor terraces, airside and landside.