Malta International Airport Reports Record Traffic Surpassing Pre-Pandemic Levels

Malta International Airport reports record mid-year traffic results for 2023, MIA CEO Alan Borg revealed in the company’s revised forecast.

In a recent press conference, he stated that traffic is expected to return to 2019 levels by the end of this year.

In the first half of 2023, MIA registered an impressive 3.43 million passengers. This figure not only surpasses 2019’s highs by 5.6% but also places MIA among the 48% of European airports whose mid-year passenger volumes exceeded pre-pandemic traffic.

The airport also reported a monthly seat load factors that hit a high of 86% in June, outperforming both 2022 and 2019 figures.

Despite global economic challenges, these results indicate a sustained interest in travel to the Maltese Islands. Borg, however, warned that the inflation and rising airfares, noted in a recent travel survey by the European Travel Commission, may begin to depress travel demand across Europe.

The CEO also highlighted the importance of maintaining momentum, stating:

“We are extremely satisfied with our mid-year performance, yet we cannot let our guards down if we are to maintain our momentum against expected headwinds. We remain committed to working with the Malta Tourism Authority on securing more connections for our islands, particularly since the recovery of our connectivity continues to lag behind that of passenger volumes.”

Malta Tourism Authority CEO, Carlo Micallef, praised the mid-year traffic performance and its positive impact on tourism numbers. He acknowledged that while capacity from Malta’s source markets is yet to fully recover, extensive marketing efforts and destination appeal are driving higher aircraft utilisation, therefor growing tourism numbers.

The press conference also highlighted Malta International Airport’s capital expenditure of approximately €8 million for the first six months of 2023.