Summer closed on a sunny note for Malta IAP,
registering 3,645,812 passenger movements, which translate into a 6.3% growth.
During the summer period — which for the aviation
industry stretches from the end of March until the end of October — the airport
hosted over 210,000 passengers more than it did during the same period in 2015.
These figures mark Malta IAP's busiest summer yet.
This increase was registered on the back of an upturn
of 4.3% in seat capacity and an improved seat load factor, which climbed
up to 85% from 83.3% in summer 2015. Moreover, a rise of 1.4% was also recorded
in aircraft
movements.
The top five markets for the summer months were the U.K.,
Italy, Germany, France and Poland. A spike in passenger numbers of 46% put
Poland’s
growth well above that registered by the other four markets. While the U.K. and
Germany both recorded an increase of 3%, the French market grew by 5% and Italy
registered a more significant 11%.
Looking back at October shows that this month grew by
10.4% over 2015 to host over half a million passengers for the first time ever.
October's
list of top drivers of traffic largely reflected the one for the summer months,
with the U.K. (4%) holding to its top spot, followed by Italy (23%), Germany
(18%), France (5%), and Switzerland (25%).
The varying rates of growth for
these markets in October stemmed from the launch of a number of new routes,
enhanced operations to destinations such as Zurich, and a better seat load
factor on flights to Amsterdam and Turkey. Moreover, an improvement of 2.5% brought
October's seat load factor up to 86%. (Source: maltairport.com, 7-Nov-2016)
