• 96 per cent of respondents were “very satisfied” or “quite satisfied” by MIA
• 92 per cent agreed MIA is an important contributor to the economy
• 87 per cent described MIA as “successful”

Ninety-five per cent of Maltese residents are proud of their airport, according to a brand perception survey carried out by an independent market research consultancy.

Local residents were asked: “As a resident of Malta, how proud are you of the Malta International Airport?” Overall, 32 per cent said they were very proud, while 64 per cent said they were quite proud.

A thousand Maltese residents aged between 16 and 69 years participated in the survey, where each had to rank a series of statements on a scale of one (totally disagree) to five (totally agree).

MIA obtained favourable perceptions throughout.

Ninety-two per cent of respondents agreed that it was an important contributor to the economy. In fact, Malta’s airport contributes to 9.2 per cent of the country’s GDP, supporting 15,300 jobs and generating €660 million annually, according to the latest ACI Europe study.

When asked about the company’s performance, 87 per cent described MIA as “successful”. This perception tallies with the airport’s year-on-year increase in passenger traffic and its ranking among the top five best airports in Europe according to the Airport Service Quality (ASQ) Awards.

In terms of connectivity, 81 per cent of Maltese residents agreed that MIA was well connected to the world. In fact, the airport was announced as the third most internationally connected airport in its class, with over 50 destinations served in its winter schedule.

Meanwhile, 96 per cent of respondents said they were satisfied with MIA, 82 per cent said the company took care of its customers and 84 per cent said the brand enjoyed a good reputation.

“We are very encouraged by this excellent feedback. It is an honour to be backed by such an overwhelming majority of Maltese residents,” said MIA CEO Alan Borg.

“Our strategy is to remain focused on strengthening our reputation and aiming for the highest standards. We want to keep building on this success to see Malta International Airport become the best airport in Europe,” he said, adding that such a positive result would not have been possible without the dedicated effort of all employees, partners and stakeholders.

The survey was carried out between January and February 2015 by Informa Consultants, an independent market research consultancy firm based in Malta.

Of those surveyed, 84 per cent visited MIA in past 12 months. The majority of residents who participated carried a Maltese nationality (96 per cent).

Marketing & Brand Development

14 April 2015