A total 528,923 passengers used Malta airport in November, an increase of 7.2% over 2019.

The airport said in a statement that November traffic peaked four days into the month on the weekend of the school mid-term holidays, with more than 25,000 passengers travelling through the airport on the day.

Strong demand resulted in a seat load factor (SLF) of almost 85%, 6.8% higher than 2019 levels.

Italy, the United Kingdom, and Germany retained their positions on the airport’s market leader board.

France, however, was taken over by Poland which made a comeback among the top five drivers of passenger traffic after a seven-month absence. 

Last month, 92% of the seats available on flights between seven Polish destinations and Malta were filled, indicating strong demand for travel to this market.

This high SLF, together with more frequent operations, led to a 120% increase in the number of passengers that travelled to and from Poland compared to 2019.

Although Germany has yet to rebound to 2019 traffic levels, at 90%, its November SLF was also particularly high, Malta International Airport said.