Leap day contributes to increase in MIA passenger numbers

Malta International Airport welcomed 236,631 passengers last month, which translates to a growth of 13.3%. These positive results come hot on the heels of the announcement that Malta International Airport ranked second in Airports Council International’s Best European Airport by Region award.

Last month’s growth partly stems from February’s leap day, which resulted in an additional 8,421 passengers passing through the airport. This equates to roughly the population of a mid-sized village in Malta. If the extra day in February were eliminated, the month would have been closed with a 9.2% growth over the same month last year.

The rise in passenger numbers can be attributed to a seat capacity increase of 5.2%, with airlines registering further efficiency in filling up the additional seats on the market.

The airport’s top three markets remained unchanged from January, with the United Kingdom occupying the top spot followed by Italy and Germany. Traffic from Italy increased by a noteworthy 20.6%, as a result of added flights to Rome’s Fiumicino and Ciampino airports.

Among the top five markets, Turkey registered the most impressive growth rate with 41.7%, surpassing the growth it had registered back in January.

Meanwhile, a decrease was noted in both the maximum take-off weight (MTOW) and cargo and mail by 0.8% and 7.0% respectively.

The winter period draws to a close on the 27th of March, when the airport will launch its new summer schedule.