• Year-to-date traffic up 6.7 per cent, reaching 6,339,731 passenger movements
• Summer – April to October – registers increase of 7.7 per cent in traffic
• 18 routes extended from summer into winter

 Malta International Airport welcomed more than 6.3 million passengers between January and October. This figure translates into an increase of 6.7 per cent over the same comparable period last year, indicating that the airport is on course to close 2019 with a new traffic milestone of more than seven million passenger movements.

The first 10 months of the year all performed well and posted growth, with the summer season – stretching from April until October for the aviation industry – registering an increase of 7.7 per cent in passenger movements at Malta Airport. In parallel with this increase in passenger numbers, aircraft movements and seat capacity grew by 5.6 per cent and 6.8 per cent, respectively.

The top markets for the season were the United Kingdom (+3.3 per cent), Italy (+3.7 per cent), Germany (+17.3 per cent), France (+8.4 per cent) and Spain (+9.3 per cent). Malta International Airport’s connections with these already popular markets were further strengthened in summer with the introduction of new routes, such as Exeter, Cardiff, Verona and Perugia, and better flight frequencies on existing routes.

“With another successful summer behind us, the focus has now been shifted to ensuring that the winter and off-peak months deliver results that are in line with our strategy, which is aimed at attracting year-round tourism to the islands. Our recently launched winter schedule will continue to make Malta accessible to tourists in the off-peak months, whilst increasing convenience and travel options for locals,” said Malta International Airport CEO Mr Alan Borg.

The summer season was brought to a close by October, which recorded an 8.8 per cent increase over the same month last year and went on to surpass the 700,000-passenger mark for the first time. The last days of the month saw Malta International Airport launch its new winter schedule and welcome the first flights from Paphos, Trieste, and Santiago de Compostela.

Published on: 08.09.2019