Summer starts early for MIA as it sees 5.7% passenger increase in April

Malta International Airport welcomed 415,409 passengers last April, marking a 5.7% growth over the same month in 2015, and kick starting the busy, summer months ahead.

In a statement, the airport said that this figure is comparable to the passenger numbers registered in the August peak of 2011 (427,575 passengers), just five years ago.

“April’s growth partially resulted from the launch of the airport’s summer schedule, featuring new routes, airlines, and  increased flight frequency to a number of destinations, which contributed to a seat capacity growth of 3.8%,” the statement reads.

They added that the top five traffic drivers for April remained largely unchanged from the previous months, with the United Kingdom holding on to its top spot, followed by Italy, Germany, and France. However, according to figures, Poland presented an exception, placing fifth in the airport’s top markets list with its  27.3% growth over the previous year. The increase is being linked to the introduction of the new Poznań route towards the end of March and an increased flight frequency to Gdansk.

“All of this falls in line with stepped-up efforts by the Government, the Malta Tourism Authority, and Malta International Airport to continue to develop the Island’s network with the Eastern European market,” the airport adds.

Figures for the first four months of 2016 show a record number of passenger movements at Malta International Airport, with over 1.2 million guests having passed through, up by 12% compared to 2015.