Tourism recovery continues as MIA surpasses 700,000 passenger mark for first time since 2019

Passenger movements through Malta International Airport in August exceeded the 700,000 mark for the first time since 2019 in what is traditionally the busiest month.

A total of 712,122 passengers travelled through MIA last month, marking a recovery of 86.5% of pre-pandemic traffic. The company said on Thursday the result was registered on the back of a recovery of 84.2% in seat capacity.

Occupancy levels, known as the seat load factor, on flights operated to and from Malta, reached an all-time high of 90.4%, an increase of 2.4 points over August 2019.

The peak in traffic observed on 21 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.

The top drivers of traffic for the month were Italy, the UK, France, Germany and Spain, cumulatively accounting for 67% of August’s passenger numbers.

While the UK and Germany featured among the top five markets, the number of passengers travelling to and from these countries remained significantly below 2019 levels.

However, Italy, France, Poland, Switzerland, Greece and Austria all registered different levels of growth over 2019. At 44%, 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% in passenger movements. MIA is currently connected to nine French airports through flights operated by five airlines.