Last August, Malta International Airport (MIA) welcomed 252,022 passengers, translating into a drop of 69.4 per cent over the same month in 2019.

Since the airport’s reopening to commercial flights on 1st July 2020, the first two weeks of August have been the busiest for MIA in terms of the number of passengers handled.

The information was relayed by the MIA in  a statement.

A total of 459,440 seats were available on flights operated to and from MIA throughout August, with seat load factor (SLF) for the month standing at 54.9 per cent.

The airport’s top markets for the month under review were Italy, the United Kingdom, Germany, France and Poland, cumulatively accounting for 169,804 movements of August’s total passenger traffic.

While the month of August came to a close with 99,204 more passenger movements than in July, the introduction of Malta’s amber list together with various travel restrictions announced by other countries led to a weaker passenger traffic performance in the second half of the month.

Aviation and travel organisations such as Airports Council International have appealed for more harmonised quarantine measures and restrictions across countries that can help restore traveller confidence and contribute to the industry’s recovery.

In an economic analysis bulletin published on 31st August 2020, Airports Council International reported that the airport industry is anticipating a reduction of 58.4 per cent in traffic when compared to 2019, which equates to a loss of 5.6 billion passengers for the year.