A total 2.66 million passengers travelled through Malta International Airport between June and September, including 658,569 in September, the airport said in a notice on the Malta Stock Exchange.
At 86.4%, September’s recovery of pre-pandemic traffic was similar to the recovery rates posted in July (86.3%) and in August (86.5%). In September, 89.5% of the seats available on the flights operated to and from Malta were occupied, marking an increase of 3.3% over the same month in 2019.
Italian market remained top
Almost no changes from the previous three peak months were observed in relation to the top drivers of traffic, with the Italian market registering an increase of 13.1% in passenger numbers over September 2019, remaining top of the leaderboard for the seventh consecutive month.
Italy was followed by the United Kingdom, which generated 33% less traffic than it had in 2019.
While Germany ranked third again for the first time in six months, the number of passengers travelling to and from this market remained 34.7% below pre-pandemic levels.
On the other hand, the French market dropped to fourth place, despite registering an increase of 29.5% over pre-pandemic traffic.
The Spanish market, which ranked fifth, continued to recover at a slow pace, with passenger traffic to and from this market remaining 18.3% below pre-pandemic levels.
Launch of winter schedule
MIA said it is now easing into the new season, having launched its winter 22/23 flight schedule earlier in the week.
This offers around 80% of pre-pandemic connectivity together with several new developments that are expected to support the airport in surpassing its forecast 5.4 million passengers by the end of the year, despite a number of economic factors that may have an impact on the demand for air travel.
One of the highlights of the schedule is the return of flag carrier Air Serbia with a biweekly flight. The schedule also features up to 14 weekly flights to Istanbul, up from seven weekly flights operated during the winter 21/22 season.
The Maltese islands will be connected to Sweden once again through a biweekly flight to Stockholm following the suspension of this route, which was operated by Scandinavian Airlines, in 2021.
This development falls in line with Malta International Airport’s endeavours to better tap into the potential presented by the Scandinavian market, which is currently accessible from Malta through flights to Sweden and Denmark.