Some 75,420 passengers flew in to Malta in May, new figures show, as airport bosses welcomed the "slight improvement" on the first few months of the year.

The numbers were still drastically down on pre-COVID levels, with a drop of 88.8% compared to the same month in 2019.

But, in a notice on the Stock Exchange, Company Secretary Louis de Gabriele said it was a boost on the first part of the year, during which fewer than 40,000 passengers travelled through the airport every month.

The top markets for May were Italy, Germany, France, Poland and Turkey, due to relaxation of travel restrictions and the resumption of flights from some regional airports. 

Turkey remained an important connecting hub for passengers who could not travel directly to their final destination due to restrictions in place.

Travel restrictions remain between Malta and the UK, its traditional top driver of traffic.

The seat load factor for May - indicating the percentage of seats occupied on flights operated to and from the airport – stood at 62%.

The airport said it expected seat capacity deployed by airlines in June to increase by more than double the capacity for May, as passenger demand is expected to start recovering gradually.