More than two million passengers passed through Malta International Airport between November and March leading the company to post growth of 5.9% in traffic over the same period last year.

The growth was observed in line with an 8.1% increase in aircraft movements and a 7.6% increase in seat capacity. Seat load factor (SLF) for the season stood at 76%.

The airport’s enhanced winter flight schedule was an important factor in the attainment of the results, the airport said.

“Having an extensive route network is crucial in securing year-round traffic, but it is the unceasing efforts of our people which ensure that we can continue to provide safe and delightful airport journeys to an ever-increasing number of passengers,” Malta International Airport CEO Alan Borg said.

New developments and better frequencies on several routes, introduced by the winter schedule, led all of MIA’s top five markets, with the exception of Germany (-2.9%), to experience growth. While the United Kingdom and Italy registered modest growth rates of 0.3% and 3.3% respectively, at 14.7% and 63.1%, France and Spain registered more substantial increases.

Outside the top five drivers of traffic, other markets that performed exceptionally well included Slovakia, Portugal and Estonia. The results achieved by these three markets could be attributed to the operation of the Bratislava, Porto and Lisbon, and Tallinn routes in the winter months for the first time.

Bringing winter to a close, March registered an increase of 1.3% in passenger movements. This modest increase was mainly due to the fact that the Easter holiday effect occurred in March last year.