Malta was a much harder airborne target than Crete

Could the Axis have captured Malta with an airborne assault like the invasion of Crete?

Unlikely; Malta's prepared airfields, obstacles, stable command, fortifications, and reinforcement problem made it a substantially tougher objective.

Crete's disrupted command arrangements differed sharply from Malta's established defenses and prepared population. Wires and obstacles threatened gliders. Airfields were fortified and manned, and even light tanks or armored cars would be dangerous to paratroopers. Capturing an airfield would be only the first step because the attackers would then have to hold it and bring heavy forces through a very limited seaborne approach under continued opposition.