I have a trip to Malta coming up soon. I've got our time in Malta figured out pretty much (I think) but am unfamiliar with the airport (MLA) and don't have a clears sense of what to expect. Hoping someone here can shed some light on what to expect arriving and departing.

I assume the arrival at MLA will be fairly straightforward. We're arriving from IST on TK in business class. (I know, it's a fairly short intra-Europe flight, not expecting anything fancy). We will just be in transit at IST, so we will clear EU passport control upon arrival in Malta. Arriving early evening on a Saturday late September. Will be picking up checked bags, then heading off to our accommodations in Valletta. After long flights from North America via IST, I'm inclined to take a cab - not super-expensive, simple, not too demanding. I believe there's some kind of cab ticket desk/booth selling fixed price tickets at/near/outside the departure hall. True? Any gotchas to watch out for (other than typical taxi cab driver scams)?

When we depart a couple weeks later, we will be flying from MLA to Istanbul, again on TK in regional business class (we'll be staying in Istanbul a few days this time, not just transiting - so I will have the Turkish e-Visa set up). We will be dropping off a rental car when we get to MLA, then will head to the departure terminal. Our flight departs late-morning on a Tuesday in early October.

I'm guessing that MLA is not a huge airport, but does get busy at times. How simple/complicated, chaotic/orderly, messy/efficient is this airport for the usual tasks of check-in, bag-drop, getting through security, finding your way, etc.? We will have bags to check. Is there any lounge we should head for (flying TK in business class, but don't have status or 3rd party lounge pass/membership). I'm planning on getting to the airport around 2 hours before scheduled flight departure time. Is that adequate/appropriate?

Thanks for any tips or suggestions you can offer for a smooth arrival and departure.