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A presence in Malta › Aviation, with Transport Malta

Office space for aviation companies

A private office for two, with desks by a floor-to-ceiling window

A head office in Malta, for operators and training organisations

To hold a Maltese approval, a company’s principal place of business must normally be in Malta. For air operators (AOC holders), Transport Malta expects a real head office where the accountable manager and key staff take decisions and keep records. EU rules ask for suitable offices for key staff; Transport Malta inspects them and decides what is enough. BUSINESSLABS has private offices for the people who run the company from Malta, with a lease agreement you can use with regulators.

Tell us what you need
See the offices

Reception 08:00–17:00, Monday to Friday

What the regulator looks for

A real head office, run from Malta

  1. A real head officeA company registered in Malta, with a Malta VAT number, whose Malta office is the actual centre of operations, not a room for occasional meetings
  2. Decisions made in MaltaThe accountable manager and nominated persons run the business through management meetings held in Malta, as often as decisions require
  3. Key people presentThe people needed for compliance work from the Malta office; nominated persons are expected to be resident, and a deputy may handle operational correspondence when they are away
  4. Suitable officesEach type of approval asks for office space where key staff can do their work without undue disturbance
  5. Records in MaltaRecords of operational and financial decisions are ready for inspection at the Malta office, protected from damage, alteration and theft
  6. Open to inspectionTransport Malta inspects the premises before it grants an approval, and can inspect without notice afterwards

A summary for orientation, not legal advice. Every point carries its source and the date it was last checked.

Sources, and the last review

  1. LawRegulation (EC) No 1008/2008, articles 2(26) and 4, on the principal place of business ↗
  2. NoticeTransport Malta, Civil Aviation Directorate: Operations Advisory Notice 04/16, revision 2, August 2023 ↗
  3. RulesRegulation (EU) No 1321/2014: CAMO.A.215, 145.A.25 and 147.A.100, on offices and rooms ↗
  4. RulesRegulation (EU) No 1178/2011: ORA.GEN.130, ORA.GEN.215 and ORA.ATO.305, on training organisations' facilities ↗
  5. ReviewedChecked on 4 November 2026, Transport Malta's notices from archived copies of its site

How BUSINESSLABS covers it

Everything but the licence

  1. The leaseA lease agreement for the use of space, a private office for your managers, that you can use with regulators
  2. Your teamOffices for the accountable manager and the nominated persons, with access cards for 24/7
  3. Rooms to hireBoardrooms for eight to thirty, by the hour, for meetings and courses
  4. The planA business plan and market research from the B2B Malta team
Boardroom D with yellow and grey chairs around a timber table

Questions

What people ask

The questions as people ask them, in search and to AI assistants.

What is the principal place of business for a Maltese AOC?

It is the head office or registered office in Malta where the airline's main financial functions and operational control, including continuing airworthiness management, are exercised. Transport Malta expects it to be the actual centre of operations, and assesses each case.

Does a CAMO need an office in Malta?

For Transport Malta to approve it, in practice yes: it oversees CAMOs whose principal place of business is in Malta, and CAMOs that are part of a Maltese AOC. The rules require suitable office accommodation for the CAMO's staff, and EASA's guidance adds a technical library and room to consult documents. The details depend on the approval.

Can our accountable manager live outside Malta?

Transport Malta's guidance says the accountable manager should live in Malta or show suitable means to stay responsible from abroad. Nominated persons should be resident; when they are away, a deputy may handle operational correspondence, but the responsibility stays with them. Transport Malta decides; ask your advisers.

Can a training organisation run theory courses from a rented classroom?

It can, if the room is part of its approval. A pilot training organisation needs facilities for all its planned training, and adding a location or changing its facilities needs Transport Malta's approval first. Part-147 maintenance training needs a fully enclosed room, separate from other facilities, at a location its approval allows.

Can a coworking desk be our principal place of business?

We found nothing in the rules or Transport Malta's guidance about coworking desks or serviced offices. They describe a head office that is the actual centre of operations, with suitable offices for key staff and records kept for inspection. Ask Transport Malta or your advisers before relying on any space.

Will Transport Malta inspect our office?

Yes. Transport Malta inspects facilities before it grants an approval, and its oversight includes audits and unannounced inspections.

Do we need an office in Malta to register an aircraft here?

The Aircraft Registration Act lets EU, EEA and Swiss companies register if their registered office, central administration and principal place of business are in Malta, the EU, the EEA or Switzerland. Owners from other approved countries, whose aircraft are not used for air services, must appoint a resident agent who lives in Malta. Ask your advisers.

The end of the line

Tell us what you need

We reply with the options that fit your approval and your team, and what they cost.

Business plan?
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