More than 160,000 people are expected to pass through Malta's airport over the  Christmas period.

It will be bustling with activity between December 22 and 31, the airport said, with the heaviest travel day expected to land on the 28th. 

Many of the travellers will be Maltese people living abroad and making the annual pilgrimage home for the festive period. 

Some said they religiously headed home every year, others returned infrequently or found it too difficult to escape work or afford the flight home.

Here is what some of them had to say.

Regular returners

Clare Mifsud is a sales director for an education and cultural exchange company based in Zurich. 

She said she had spent the past eight years living abroad, three years in the UK and five years in Switzerland, but never missed heading home for Christmas.

“No matter how old I get my dad is always picking me up from the airport and my mum is always at home waiting for me with my favourite warm food. Nothing beats that. I travel every week around Europe for work and I still haven't lost the excitement of travelling back home. There's no comparison between business travel and travelling home for Christmas,” she said.

The Tritons in their winter wonderland. Photo: Matthew Mirabelli

Kathryn Baldacchino said she regularly returned to Malta because her husband worked in Maltese theatre every Christmas.

She recalls how her first Christmas in the UK was vastly different from the festivities her family was having back home. Then, she had shared a Chinese takeaway meal with her husband because they could not find anywhere to have Christmas dinner.

“We spoke to family on the day and they were boasting about their roast lunches and we decided we'd always try to spend Christmas in Malta, and maybe eventually Australia with the rest of my family.” 

She has been in London for the past five years and looks back fondly at seeing families reuniting with their loved ones at the arrivals gate.

Infrequent homebirds

Amanda Anderson and her family travel to Malta on alternate years to celebrate Christmas.

Amanda Anderson, who is from Malta but lives in Hertfordshire in the UK said that she and her family normally go to Malta for Christmas in alternate years.  This year, they are heading to Marsaskala to see her extended family and relatives flying in from Turkey and Australia.

She added that while it is nice to enjoy the Christmas atmosphere and the food, she was not keen on travelling at this time of year.

“If I could 'not travel for Christmas' I’d rather because it's generally stressful (especially with children). But then family won't be happy. And let us be honest the weather in Malta is better,” she mused.

London-based Marlene Vella said she was heading back to Malta this Christmas but there were previous years when she could not get away from work.

“My previous job was operational and a small team so it was impossible for everyone to be off work,” she explained.

Ms Vella added that her most memorable flight was when she was delayed leaving Heathrow Airport because of heavy snowfall.

“The airport was total carnage, kids screaming and crying, nowhere to sit and McDonald’s officially out of burgers. Not to mention the help desks having a complete nervous breakdown of course,” she added.

Some of the Maltese heading back this year are reuniting with family members they have not seen in years.

Mia Weatherall with her family in Valletta on Christmas Eve

Mia Wealthall does not return to Malta for Christmas often but this year is special.  She will be reuniting with her sister after 10 years. She explained that her sister has been living in Switzerland while Mia has spent the last 14 years in London. 

Not going back

Alexandra Aquilina, a freelance designer and screen printer living in Berlin, said she was not be heading back to Malta this Christmas because of the price of airline fares.

The cost of Air Malta’s flights were too high for her to afford a flight home, she said adding that she would prefer to save the money to afford trips to other countries in the world.

“Air Malta should be ashamed to charge around €600/€800 for return flights,” she said.