Cost-efficiency - Malta
PRB monitoring
▪ The en route 2023 actual unit cost of Malta was 17.52 €2017, -19% lower than the determined unit cost (21.61 €2017). The terminal 2023 actual unit cost was 105.19 €2017, -34% lower than the determined unit cost (159.00 €2017).
▪ The en route 2023 actual service units (0.97M) were -3.8% lower than the determined service units (1.01M).
▪ The en route 2023 actual total costs were -4.8 M€2017 (-22%) lower than determined. The reduction was mainly due to significant difference in other operating costs (-2.5 M€2017, or -33%) and staff costs (-1.8 M€2017, or -16%). The NSA did not provide detailed explanations. The PRB recommends that the NSA submit an updated Additional Information to the Reporting Tables, providing more comprehensive explanations for the differences between the actual and determined costs in each cost category.
▪ MATS spent 2.3 M€2017 in 2023 related to costs of investments for both en route and terminal charging zones, -32% less than determined (3.4 M€2017). Furthermore, the actual net current assets for the year were +6.1 M€2017 higher than anticipated (+616%), whereas the actual fixed assets were -5.2 M€2017 lower than the determined figures (-40%). The NSA did not provide an explanation for these discrepancies.
▪ Similarly to 2022, Malta did not provide the required data in time. The PRB recommends that the NSA put in place a solid process for reporting to fulfill the Regulation requirements.
▪ The en route actual unit cost incurred by users in 2023 was 23.53€ (-0.4% below the 2023 DUC), while the terminal actual unit cost incurred by users was 160.96€ (-7.5% below the 2023 DUC).
▪ The en route regulatory result for MATS amounted to +4.2 M€, or 21% of the 2023 revenue. This may indicate that the airspace users are charged for costs which have not materialised in 2023. The PRB will take into consideration the implementation of the RP3 performance plan when assessing the RP4 cost-efficiency targets.
En route charging zone
Unit cost (KPI#1)
| Actual and determined data | ||||
| Total costs - nominal (M€) | 2020-2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Actual costs | 40 | 20 | 19 | NA |
| Determined costs | 42 | 24 | 24 | 26 |
| Difference costs | -2 | -3 | -5 | NA |
| Inflation assumptions | 2020-2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Determined inflation rate | NA | 4.7% | 2.8% | 2.1% |
| Determined inflation index | NA | 109.7 | 112.8 | 115.1 |
| Actual inflation rate | NA | 6.1% | 5.6% | NA |
| Actual inflation index | NA | 111.2 | 117.4 | NA |
| Difference inflation index (p.p.) | NA | +1.5 | +4.6 | NA |
Actual unit cost incurred by the users (AUCU) (PI#1)
| AUCU components (€/SU) – 2023 | |
| Components of the AUCU in 2023 | €/SU |
|---|---|
| DUC | 23.64 |
| Inflation adjustment | 0.76 |
| Cost exempt from cost-sharing | -1.32 |
| Traffic risk sharing adjustment | 0.25 |
| Traffic adj. (costs not TRS) | 0.15 |
| Finantial incentives | 0.00 |
| Modulation of charges | 0.00 |
| Cross-financing | 0.00 |
| Other revenues | 0.00 |
| Application of lower unit rate | 0.00 |
| Total adjustments | -0.16 |
| AUCU | 23.47 |
| AUCU vs. DUC | -0.7% |
| Cost exempt from cost sharing by item - 2023 | €'000 | €/SU |
|---|---|---|
| New and existing investments | -724.9 | -0.75 |
| Competent authorities and qualified entities costs | -563.0 | -0.58 |
| Eurocontrol costs | 7.3 | 0.01 |
| Pension costs | 0.0 | 0.00 |
| Interest on loans | 0.0 | 0.00 |
| Changes in law | 0.0 | 0.00 |
| Total cost exempt from cost risk sharing | -1,280.6 | -1.32 |