Malta International Airport saw record traffic in July, mostly due to an improved summer schedule and new routes in the UK and Italy.

The airport said that 798,453 passengers went through the terminal, its highest number ever and an increase of 5.6 per cent on the same month last year.

More people used the airport every day - 25,700 - than live in St Paul's Bay, Malta's most populous town, it said. 

The UK, Italy, Germany and France were the top drivers of passenger traffic, partly because of an improved summer schedule and new routes in Cardiff, Exeter, Genoa, Verona, Lamezia and Perugia.

Other developments that contributed to the growth include the extension of the Leipzig, Berlin and Hamburg routes into the summer months, and increased capacity on several routes such as Rome Fiumicino, Lyon, Madrid, Valencia and Bilbao.  
 
Out on the airfield, aircraft movements increased by 4.5% to total more than 5,000 take-offs and landings throughout the month. 
 
Seat capacity registered an increase of 5.6%. Seat load factor stood at a healthy 87%. 
  
The airport’s Cruise and Fly programme was another contributing factor to the solid performance recorded by both the United Kingdom and Germany, MIA said.