Possibly the first food establishment to take the travel theme to new heights, the Super Constellation Bar was in a league of its own back in the day. Its premises was an airplane, a Lockheed L-1049G Super Constellation, to be exact.
Initially a commercial aircraft, the plane was impounded on 16th February, 1968 at the Malta International Airport for operating under a false registration number and was left abandoned for four years. On 6th November 1972 it was purchased by a local company, Salvatore Bezzina & Sons, for the sum of Lm3,000.
It was towed to Kirkop a couple of months later and once ownership issues were settled, the plane was converted into a bar, but great care was taken to preserve the cockpit, engine and instruments on board. This cost the owners an additional investment of Lm10,000 – that’s some big bucks we’re talking about right there!
The Super Constellation Bar was in business for 13 years until it shut down in 1988, again abandoned by its owners. It remained there for a long time, until the Malta Aviation Foundation expressed interest in purchasing the grounded aircraft and restoring it to its original glory. Before any deal could be settled, the plane suffered an arson attack, effectively destroying any hopes of a restoration.
Many locals share fond memories of the place which, although primarily operating as bar, also hosted birthday parties. Although the plane never made it into a museum, The Malta Aviation Foundation did manage to purchase some of its remains, such as the engines, the undercarriage and the wings.
What is your favourite memory of the Super Constellation Bar?