Quarter of airport's December traffic fuelled by locals

A quarter of December traffic at the Malta International Airport (MIA) will be made up of locals travelling on holiday. 

This proportion marks an increase from the yearly average, where only one in six travellers were local. The strong demand in December is particularly noticeable from locals, partly fuelled by the enhanced accessibility to winter destinations, according to the MIA.

The Christmas holiday rush at MIA is projected to peak on 27 December, with approximately 70,000 passengers expected across 206 flights. The level of aircraft activity is set to surpass the daily average recorded during the summer of 2025. 

Meanwhile, Christmas Day is forecast to be the quietest day of the year, registering only fifty take-offs and landings.

Leading up to the December surge, MIA registered 774,791 passenger movements in November. The Polish market returned to the top three destinations, behind the United Kingdom and Italy, aided by increased flight frequencies across most Polish routes. 

Germany held the fourth while Spain re-entered the top five markets after a long absence. Collectively, these top five markets accounted for nearly 62% of the total passenger movements registered in November.

MIA said that it ended 2024 welcoming 8.96 million passengers, representing growth of almost 15% compared to the previous year. This result was partially driven by a flight schedule that connected the Maltese Islands to 109 destinations.

Significant investment was channelled into infrastructure and customer service enhancements throughout 2024. 

Notable projects included the inauguration of four new aircraft parking stands as part of the Apron 8 South project, the implementation of new CT scanners in the security screening area, and the addition of a new baggage reclaim belt.