Airport passenger traffic up by 15.6% in first six months
One in five travellers left from the UK
The number of passengers who travelled through the Malta International Airport in the first six months of the year increased by 15.6% over the same period last year.
MIA said in a statement on Friday that an eventful June rounded off a strong first half of 2026, as the airport continued expanding its route network through the launch of two services.
Building on Malta’s existing connections to the Scandinavian region, Norwegian inaugurated its new connection to Billund on June 3. Five days later, the airport achieved another milestone as it welcomed the first-ever Delta Air Lines flight from John F Kennedy International Airport.
By the end of June, the airport registered 5.2 million passenger movements.
The year began with a particularly strong performance during the winter season (January to March), when passenger traffic grew by 15.4% compared to the same period last year.
While airlines offered 2.6 million seats, increasing by 14.1%, the average seat load factor reached 81.1%, marking a marginal increase over 2025.
Between April and June, almost 3.8 million seats were made available during this quarter, representing an 18.8% increase over 2025.
Passenger traffic rose by 15.7%, while seat load factor also remained strong at 83.7%.
20% of passengers from UK
The UK retained its position as the airport's largest market, accounting for 20% of passenger traffic during the first half of the year.
Traffic from the UK grew by 14.6% year-on-year, supported by expanded operations from Jet2 and the introduction of several new routes, including Ryanair and easyJet services to Newcastle, easyJet's new Glasgow connection, and Jet2's new operation to London Gatwick.
Italy also continued to perform strongly, growing by 8.5% over 2025, with Rome Fiumicino overtaking London Gatwick to become the airport's busiest route during the first half of the year.
Meanwhile, Poland continued its upward trajectory, recording a 52.4% increase in passenger traffic over the first half of 2025.
With three airlines now serving the market, Poland has become one of the airport's fastest-growing source markets.