Malta International Airport (MIA) recorded a total of 465,482 passengers during the first month of this year, surpassing the 400,000 passenger milestone for January for the first time since 2020.
According to the airport’s latest report, the increase in passenger activity marked a notable increase of 22.7 per cent compared to the previous year 2023, reaching a peak on January 6.
On this busy day, which marked the end of the busy holiday travel period, a total of 151 flights transported 23,923 passengers to and from the airport.
Aircraft movements totalled 3,511 in January, corresponding to a 23.4 per cent growth when compared with the same month in 2023. While seat capacity increased by 27.4 per cent over the reference year, load factor registered a drop of 2.8 percentage points, as average occupancy on flights stood at 74 per cent.
Further MIA data also shows that January 2024 witnessed an intriguing change in passenger traffic dynamics at Malta International Airport. As a result, Italy led the charge with a 24 per cent increase compared to last year. Other countries that also contributed to this growth are as follows:
- United Kingdom (+23 per cent)
- Poland (+59 per cent)
- Germany (+30 per cent)
- France (-20 per cent)
The Polish market emerged as the standout performer, showing steady growth over the past few years. Overtaking Spain, France, and Germany, Poland climbed to become Malta International Airport’s third-largest market in January 2024.
Increased flight frequencies to Polish destinations operated by Ryanair and Wizz Air during the winter season fueled a 59 per cent year-on-year increase, with the Polish market accounting for around ten per cent of all passenger movements last month.
Based on the Airports Council International (ACI) report, Malta International Airport has strengthened its position among Europe’s best performers for 2023.
Overtaking counterparts in Spain and Italy, Malta secured fourth place within the EU+ region, boasting a commendable traffic growth of 6.7 per cent during 2019. Portugal (+12.2 per cent) and Greece (+12.1 per cent) claimed the top two spots in the segment, while Iceland secured third place with an increase of 6.9 per cent.
Moreover, Malta Airport grew on 2019 levels by 6.7 per cent, boasting a record achievement of 7.8 million passengers in 2023. Recently, European Best Destinations, known for its annual ranking, ranked Malta as one of the top EU destinations for 2024.
