Malta International Airport’s (MIA) traditionally busiest month lived up to expectations, with last August’s passenger movements exceeding the 700,000 mark for the first time since 2019.

A total of 712,122 passengers travelled through MIA in August, the company revealed, marking a recovery of 86.5 per cent of pre-pandemic traffic. This result was registered on the back of a recovery of 84.2 per cent in seat capacity.

The seat load factor (SLF), measuring the occupancy of the seats available on flights operated to and from Malta, reached an all-time high of 90.4 per cent, translating to an increase of 2.4 per cent compared to August 2019.

The peak in traffic observed on 21st August was followed by a shift brought about by some drops in seat load factors as the month’s holiday rush started to slow down.

Top Markets

The top drivers of traffic for the month were Italy, the United Kingdom, France, Germany and Spain, cumulatively accounting for 67 per cent of August’s passenger numbers. While the United Kingdom and Germany featured among the top five markets, the number of passengers travelling to and from these countries remained significantly below 2019 levels.

On the other hand, a look at the top 10 markets for August reveals that Italy, France, Poland, Switzerland, Greece and Austria all registered different levels of growth over the reference year. At 44 per cent, the Greek market registered the most significant growth, which was driven by solid connections to three airports offered by two airlines.

France was the second fastest-growing market with an increase of 34 per cent in passenger movements.  Malta International Airport is currently connected to nine French airports through flights operated by five airlines.