Malta-Gozo traffic rises as over two million passengers travel in three months
Ferry trips up by 11.5 per cent, new Sliema–Mġarr fast ferry route proves popular
Traffic between Malta and Gozo continued to increase during the second quarter of the year, with more ferry trips, passengers and vehicles using the Gozo Channel service, according to figures published by the National Statistics Office on Monday.
Between April and June, the number of ferry trips rose by 11.5 per cent compared with the same period in 2025. Passenger numbers increased by 5.7 per cent, while vehicle traffic was up by 2 per cent.
The busiest days varied depending on the direction of travel. Ferries departing Mġarr carried the most vehicles on Sundays and Mondays, while passenger traffic peaked on Sundays and Saturdays. From Ċirkewwa, vehicle traffic was highest on Fridays and Saturdays, with passenger numbers peaking on Saturdays and Fridays.
Between April and June, there were a total of 12,977 trips between Malta and Gozo carrying 2,037,526 passengers.
June was the busiest month with a total of 4,646 trips or 35.8 per cent of all trips during that quarter.
Transport between Mġarr and Ċirkewwa
Traffic between Mġarr and Ċirkewwa was up by 3 per cent as a total of 1,640,258 passengers travelled from Gozo to the ferry point on the northern tip of Malta. The majority of those passengers travelled in April (582,251) while the number of vehicles during those three months was up by 2 per cent.
The number of trips during the second quarter amounted to 9,178, an increase of 2.8 per cent over the same period in 2025. May registered the highest number of trips, 3,125 or 34.0 per cent of total trips for the quarter
Sea transport between Mġarr and Valletta
The number of trips between Gozo and Valletta dropped by 4.7 per cent to 2,589 trips. The number of passengers also dropped by 4.8 per cent down to a total of 319,535 passengers.
Sea transport between Mġarr and Sliema via Buġibba
May saw the launch of the new fast ferry route linking Mġarr with Sliema via Bugibba. Since the service started operating, 605 trips were operated on each of the Buġibba–Mġarr, Mġarr–Buġibba, Sliema–Mġarr and Mġarr–Sliema routes. Passenger volumes were higher in June than in May across all routes.
The Sliema–Mġarr and Mġarr–Sliema routes registered the highest passenger numbers, carrying 25,430 and 24,755 passengers, respectively, during the quarter, while the Buġibba–Mġarr and Mġarr–Buġibba routes carried 13,778 and 13,770 passengers, respectively