Malta International Airport has been named among the best European airports for service quality within its size category by Airports Council International for the sixth consecutive year.

The airport scored above-average ratings across most of 34 key performance indicators, MIA said in a statement.

The indicators evaluated throughout 2023 ranged from the ambience and cleanliness inside the terminal, to staff courtesy and ease of wayfinding. 

Malta's airport was among eight highlighted ones within the five to 15 million yearly passengers category. Others included Rome's Ciampino, Porto Airport and Thessaloniki airport. 

“This achievement reflects commendably on our airport, particularly in light of the record passenger volumes handled last year. Simultaneously, we were operating under intense pressure as we set the ball rolling on a host of infrastructural projects, which are set to increase capacity and improve the guest experience at Malta International Airport over the longer term,” said CEO Alan Borg.

Borg thanked the airport team for rising above the operational challenges posed by ongoing works, and for going the extra mile to provide a seamless airport experience to travelling guests while the airport journey underwent significant changes. 

The Airports Council International exercise serves as a benchmark for measuring passenger satisfaction among nearly 400 airports across 95 countries, with the feedback being received through the Airport Service Quality survey which is completed by travelling guests before boarding. 

February sees 25% growth in passenger traffic

The airport welcomed a record 474,404 passengers in February, as the airport posted a 25.1% rise in passenger traffic compared to the previous year.

This result was achieved in parallel with a 21.9% increase in aircraft movements, while seat capacity deployed by airlines climbed 25.3% over 2023.

Seat occupancy, however, remained aligned with 2023 volumes, as load factor registered a marginal reduction of 0.1 percentage points to stand at 82.5%. 

Italy retained its spot as Malta International Airport’s top market, with a market share of almost 22%.

The United Kingdom followed closely behind, registering a growth of 30.3% over the previous year.

Germany and Poland climbed to third and fourth place respectively with a market share of almost 9% each, while Spain became the airport’s fifth most popular market with a share of just over 5%.  

Malta International Airport has now published its flight schedule for the upcoming summer season, which will introduce direct connections to Belfast, Edinburgh, Norwich, Tallinn and Basel over the coming months.

Increased flight frequency is also being deployed on several routes to France, Italy and the United Kingdom, particularly during the peak months.