Air Malta’s aircraft were used for more than 11.3 hours of flying per aircraft per day during its summer 2022 schedule, which started on 1st April and ended on 31st October.
Executive Chairman David Curmi revealed the news on Wednesday, saying that the airline’s overall performance during the summer months gives him “great pleasure”, particularly since it achieved an average seat factor of 91 per cent.
For five consecutive months between June and October, Air Malta operated at a 93 per cent network-wide seat factor, carrying 1.1 million passengers to and from the Maltese Islands. Earlier this month, Mr Curmi remarked that Air Malta was “one of the airlines that cancelled the lowest number of flights” during the summer months, despite the “challenges faced at certain of our key airports”.
Air Malta Executive Chairman David Curmi
Mr Curmi added that 14 out of 18 routes achieved a seat factor which was “well above the 90 per cent mark”. The highest seat factors were achieved on flights to and from Brussels, Berlin, and London Heathrow at 96 per cent, 96 per cent, and 95 per cent respectively.
“We performed a total of 3,592 rotations equivalent to a monthly average of 513 rotations and a weekly average of 120 rotations,” he explained.
Air Malta’s top destination when it comes to passenger loads was Italy, with 240,967 passengers, followed by France, the United Kingdom, and Germany. The top airport was London Heathrow, followed by Munich, Catania, and Rome Fiumicino.
“This satisfactory performance was achieved despite the post-COVID challenges that the aviation industry faced during the summer months, particularly the acute capacity constraints at certain European airports, and is solely attributable to the hard work, dedication, and commitment of our people across the company,” Mr Curmi concluded.
Air Malta Chief Commercial Officer Roy Kinnear previously stated that the airline has plans to further grow its network and increase its flying time during 2023 and 2024. “While existing routes will be retained, we are considering adding five new destinations provided we can get suitable airport slots. This will mean that we will increase our weekly flights by over 20 per cent to 155 flights,” he said.
