• September traffic grows by 12.8 per cent to reach 706,814 passenger movements
• More than 27,000 passenger movements recorded on the month’s busiest day
• September closes off third quarter with more than 2.2 million passenger movements

With 706,814 passenger movements recorded, September was yet another busy month in what is proving to be a record-setting summer for Malta International Airport. September was, in fact, the third consecutive month during which more than 700,000 passengers were welcomed by the airport team.

September’s traffic brought peak holiday season to a close with more than 2.2 million passenger movements, making this three-month stretch the best quarter in the airport’s history.

Translating into an upturn of 12.8 per cent over 2017, much of September’s traffic growth can be attributed to an increase in aircraft movements (+12.5 per cent) and seat capacity (+14.1 per cent) which stemmed from an enhanced summer flight schedule. September’s seat load factor (SLF), which measures the success rate of airlines in filling up available seats, stood at 85.7 per cent.

The United Kingdom continued to top the list of Malta International Airport’s top markets, followed by Italy, Germany, France and Spain. While four of these markets experienced double-digit growth, traffic from Germany dropped 7.2 per cent, following the introduction of a reduced schedule by TUI cruises.

While Rome Fiumicino topped the list of most popular airports in July and August, last month it was knocked off the top spot by London Gatwick’s 40,763 passenger movements.