What complete rubbish. How much simpler could this be? Sigonella is a skip and a jump away, even Cyprus isnt so bad even if it is a little further. Why on Earth is this being used as an argument for carriers? If Malta were to offer ramp space (far side of Luqa, there's probably a few left in the RAF who might remember where to park!) then even better. There's no such thing as a Non Aligned Movement these days, so so it's more to do with being an influential member of the EU and I'm sure Malta wouldn't mind helping out if it means EU support for the potential influx of migrants from N Africa.