Malta
Int'l Airport's revised projections indicate that circa 5.8 million
passengers are expected to pass through the terminal by the end of the year,
establishing a new traffic record for the airport. In the
first half of the year, Malta IAP had already registered
2,639,712 passenger movements, amounting to an increase of 20% over the
same period in 2016.
This
solid six-month performance encouraged the company to revise its original
forecast announced in January, while taking into account the growth rate
reached so far, traffic developments for the winter season, and trends observed
in the aviation industry.
CEO
A. Borg presented this forecast at a press conference, noting that while
passenger numbers have recently been experiencing an increase across all
months, Malta International Airport will be persisting in its efforts to
ascertain that the upcoming winter season maintains the momentum gained thus
far.
Detailed
traffic results for the first half of 2017 revealed that June was the third
consecutive month to register over half a million passenger movements. The
growth experienced in the first six months was bolstered by an upturn of 15% in
aircraft movements and 19% in seat capacity.
Despite
the increase in seat capacity, with over 3 million seats available on flights
operated to Malta IAP in the first six months, a healthy seat
load factor was maintained, which stood at 80.7%.
Looking
ahead, important developments for winter 2017-18 include the introduction of
four new winter routes operated by Ryanair and EasyJet, and the extension of a
number of routes from summer into winter by Air Malta, Wizz Air and Aegean
Airlines. In addition to this, increased flight frequencies during the upcoming
season will also be offered by SAS, Lufthansa, Vueling, and Jet2.
By the
end of the year, the airport will have invested EUR16 million in its
infrastructure, with the heftiest injection being in the terminal
reconfiguration project. Completed project milestones include the opening of a
new La Valette lounge, a re-conceived observation deck, and the security
screening area relocation. Upon conclusion of the project’s first phase, the
terminal will also be furnished with eight additional check-in desks and a new
baggage handling system. (Source: maltairport.com, 27-Jul-2017)