According to The Times (December 13), "Ryanair is pleased with the strong rise in arrivals". The article goes on to say that "November traffic at Malta airport increased by 5.5 per cent thanks to Ryanair's new low-fare routes from Pisa and London".

A quick look at the MIA figures for October and November 2006 reveal that passenger movements (departures and arrivals) dropped drastically, as expected, between October and November 2006. So, although not mentioned, Ryanair must be referring to an increase in November 2006 traffic when compared to November 2005.

The MIA figures conveniently compare November 2006 to November 2005 traffic data. These figures show a 5.3 per cent increase in total international passenger movements (all destinations). But can this increase be solely attributed to Ryanair, as Ryanair's Bridget Dowling states?

The passenger movements for the UK show a decrease of 1.5 per cent in the UK market, where Ryanair has a daily flight from Luton. The passenger movements for Italy (mainland) show an increase of 26 per cent, where Ryanair has a three-times weekly flight from Pisa. However, both Air Malta and Alitalia have daily flights from Rome and other flights from Milan. Other strong increases were registered from Germany (15.5 per cent) and "Other EU" (13.2 per cent), where Ryanair does not operate.

So Ryanair's claim that its flights were responsible for all the traffic increase is disingenuous, to say the least. The Times apparently published Ryanair's press release without bothering to check whether it makes sense.

Perhaps The Times is used to press releases that usually contain a modicum of truth.