Yes, you can smoke at Malta International Airport (MLA) — after security on the outdoor terrace by Gate 1, and landside at the designated outdoor areas outside the terminal. The enclosed terminal is smoke-free; every smoking spot is open-air.
Malta International Airport, at Luqa just south of Valletta, is the Maltese islands’ only airport and the hub of national carrier KM Malta Airlines, handling around eight million passengers a year through a single passenger terminal. For smokers it is a comparatively easy stop, because the after-security smoking area is a genuine airside terrace rather than a spot you can only reach by leaving the building.
Smoking After Security (Airside)
The main airside smoking area sits at the Gate 1 end of the departures concourse, on an open-air terrace just past the Relish café. Travellers report the terrace has its own bar and a cigarette vending machine, so you can buy a drink and light up without leaving the secure zone. Because it is outdoors, it stays available even though Malta no longer allows enclosed indoor smoking rooms.
Head towards Gate 1 once you clear security, look for the café, and step out onto the terrace. This is the spot to use for a normal Schengen departure or a longer layover.
Non-Schengen Departures: Smoke Before Border Control
If you are flying to the United Kingdom or the Republic of Ireland, your gate is in the non-Schengen area beyond a passport-control barrier. Smoke at the airside Gate 1 terrace before you pass through those booths — there is no smoking area on the far side, and you cannot come back once you have crossed into the non-Schengen gates. Give yourself a few minutes at the terrace before heading to border control.
La Valette Departures Lounge Terrace
Passengers with access to the La Valette Departures Lounge have a second option: the lounge has its own outdoor terrace overlooking the airfield, and smoking is permitted there. If you are travelling on a premium fare or a lounge membership, this is a quieter, more comfortable place to smoke than the public terrace.
Landside: Before Security and at Arrivals
Before you check in, and after you collect your bags on arrival, smoking is at the designated outdoor areas outside the terminal entrances. Step out of the building, find a marked spot away from the doors, and you are clear to smoke. There is no indoor smoking anywhere in the landside terminal.
Vaping
Malta treats e-cigarettes like tobacco for the purposes of its indoor ban, so vaping is not allowed inside the enclosed terminal. Use the outdoor smoking terrace by Gate 1 airside, or the designated outdoor areas landside, for both cigarettes and vapes.
Summary
| Area | Smoking | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Indoor terminal | No | Enclosed terminal is smoke-free; no indoor room since 2013 |
| After security / airside | Yes | Open-air terrace by Gate 1, past Relish café; La Valette lounge terrace |
| Non-Schengen gates (UK/Ireland) | No | Smoke at Gate 1 terrace before border control; no return |
| Outdoor (landside) | Yes | Designated areas outside terminal entrances |
For Malta’s airport smoking rules and vaping law, see our Malta airport guide.