Malta International Airport has unveiled plans to reduce its emissions by two-thirds by the end of the decade and achieve net zero emissions by 2050.

The airport plans to achieve these "ambitious" aims by increasing its reliance on solar panels and upgrading airport infrastructure to be more efficient, the company’s head of sustainability and analytics Justine Baldacchino said.

“The largest contributor will be investments in renewable energy. This will be followed by ensuring that we have more efficient buildings," she told a press conference on Friday. 

"Next year, our emissions will be offset by investing in activities that will either reduce or absorb co2 [carbon dioxide] emissions,” she said.

The airport also plans to replace airfield floodlights and ground lighting and upgrade water pump systems and building efficiency, Baldacchino explained, adding the airport had already reduced emissions by almost a third last year.

Around four-fifths of the airport’s carbon footprint was due to electricity use she said, noting that emissions from airlines operating at the airport were not within the control of MIA.

At the same press conference, airport CEO Alan Borg reiterated airport figures released last month showing that almost 4.1 million passengers had passed through MIA in the first half of the year – an increase of one-fifth over the same period the year before.

More than 27,000 aircraft landed or took off from the airport, an increase of a sixth compared to the year before, he said.

Describing the first half of the year as “excellent”, Borg said the airport’s seat load factor – which measures the filled percentage of available seating capacity – had been consistently high, with almost nine out of 10 (87%) of seats filled in March and June.

MIA CEO Alan Borg said the last six months had been "excellent" for the airport. Photo: Jonathan Borg.

Italy remained the most popular market, followed by the UK, Germany, France and Poland, respectively. And London Gatwick was the most popular airport destination, increasing its share by a quarter to reach more than 225,000 passengers.

Ryanair was by far the most popular airline, increasing its share by more than a quarter to carry more than two million passengers to and from MIA, with the country's new national carrier KM Malta Airlines accounting for just under 900,000.

Meanwhile, out of just over 13,000 departures, almost one in 10 (8%) were delayed by more than an hour, with four-fifths of those being due to aircraft delays travelling from other destinations. He said that just four per cent of delays were attributable to air traffic control.

Last month, EU data showed the Maltese were twice as likely to face long flight delays as travellers in other EU countries, with almost a third saying their flights had been delayed by more than two hours.

Borg said expansion works to the west of the terminal building and the installation of the remaining new airport scanners were on track to be delivered by the end of the year.

Commenting on tourism trends on Friday, Malta Tourism Authority (MTA) CEO Carlo Micallef said, “We’re not the cheapest of destinations, but the experience makes up for that."

According to airport financial figures released on Thursday, MIA generated €66.4 million in revenue over the first half of the year, netting €22.1 million in profits.

Full details on the airport's green targets may be found at the MIA website.