Malta International Airport (MIA) has recorded its strongest month in terms of passenger volumes since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, welcoming a total of 418,473 passengers in September.

While it says the summer holiday season typically reaches its peak in August, the traffic results achieved by the airport in September surpassed the numbers recorded in the preceding month, meaning it outperformed August for the first time since 1999.  

Despite the uptick in airport activity, passenger traffic nearly halved in September compared with pre-pandemic volumes, as the airport reported a 45.1 per cent drop in passenger movements over the same month in 2019.

Seat-occupancy levels also remained below pre-pandemic levels, as airlines carried passengers to and from the airport at an average seat load factor of just over 70 per cent.  

The United Kingdom retained its spot as Malta International Airport’s top driver of passenger traffic as it continues its path of recovery, with over 108,000 passengers departing or arriving from this destination in September and the further easing of travel restrictions by the UK government in October auguring well for the coming months.

Following the UK on the market leader board for September were the Italian, German, French and Spanish markets. 

Malta International Airport has also published its flight schedule for the upcoming season, which is now available on the airport website. 

The winter schedule features new flight connections, adding services to unserved markets including Croatia, North Macedonia, and the United Arab Emirates, as well as a number of route extensions from summer into winter.