Ryanair Carried Nearly Half Of All Passengers To And From Malta In 2024
Low-cost giant Ryanair continues to dominate Malta’s skies — with a new Central Bank study revealing that the airline was responsible for nearly half of all scheduled flights to and from the island in 2024.
According to the Central Bank of Malta’s latest discussion paper on air connectivity, Ryanair scheduled 26,312 flights, representing 47.1% of all scheduled passenger flights for the year. That’s nearly one in every two flights.
In terms of seat capacity, Ryanair also led the way, offering 5 million out of the 10.3 million total seats available for sale, accounting for just under 49% of the market.
Ryanair’s schedule showed a strong seasonal pattern, with flight numbers peaking between April and October. Monthly flights regularly exceeded 2,500 during that period, highlighting the airline’s focus on summer tourism demand.
This contrasts with KM Malta Airlines,the national carrier, which came in second with 13,072 flights (23.4% of the total) and operated a steadier year-round schedule aimed at maintaining links with major European hubs.
EasyJet and Wizz Air followed at a distant third and fourth, each contributing just 5% and 4% of flights respectively.
Malta’s busiest routes also reflected Ryanair’s influence. Rome Fiumicino, London Gatwick, and Catania topped the list in terms of seat capacity, with over 500,000 seats each offered across 2024.
Combined, the London airports of Gatwick, Heathrow, and Stansted saw over 1 million seats on flights to and from Malta, further reinforcing the UK capital’s importance as a key destination.
In total, Malta was connected to 109 airports across 35 countries in 2024, with 55,850 scheduled flights recorded. While this represents a solid recovery since the COVID-19 pandemic slashed global travel, it still falls short of pre-2019 levels, which reached 125 airports in 40 countries.
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