Malta International airport has upped its summer schedule to offer flights to 49 airports across 13 European countries, with more routes expected to be announced in the coming days.

This follows an initial flight offering of 17 airport connections back in June, with the MIA regularly updating its flight schedule to reflect recent developments.

In a statement today, the airport announced that traffic through MIA during the first half of 2020 totalled 1,017,850 passenger movements, translating into a drop of 68.7 per cent over the same period last year.

“The year was off to a strong start, with the months of January and February registering double-digit growth of 14.2 per cent and 17.3 per cent respectively,” it said. However, reduced demand for air travel due to Covid-19 and the subsequent travel ban ushered in “a most challenging quarter for Malta International Airport”.

Between April and June, just over 8,700 passengers arrived in Malta or left the island on one of 311 humanitarian flights, as commercial air traffic stood still. 3,348 passenger movements of this total were registered in June.

 “The way ahead remains fraught with challenges, but we enter this restart period with determination to continue working with all our stakeholders on boosting passenger confidence and gradually restoring our air connectivity over the coming years, which will be critical in supporting the island’s economic recovery,” said Malta International Airport CEO, Alan Borg