Malta International Airport registered a 13 per cent surge in passenger movements this winter, more than double the increase in traffic a year ago when a five per cent growth was registered.

In an announcement on the Malta Stock Exchange, the airport said the increase was in line with the 10 per cent rise in seats available on the market throughout the season.

A total of 800,724 passengers passed through the airport between January and March, translating to an additional 100,000 passengers welcomed at the airport so far this year.

March registered an increase of 19 per cent over the previous year.

The strong performance in March, with 327,524 passenger movements, was partly due to the Easter holidays. In fact, the two weeks around Easter accounted for the movement of an additional 10,000 passengers through Malta International Airport.

The top five drivers of traffic to Malta during the shoulder months were the United Kingdom, Italy, Germany, France, and Turkey.

Four of these markets registered varying degrees of growth due to the introduction of new routes, increased flight frequency, and a consequent growth of seat capacity.

France, on other hand, experienced a drop resulting from a capacity decrease.

Last month also saw the unveiling of two new destinations, which enhanced Malta’s connectivity with Poland and Germany, as well as the inauguration of new airline Volotea and new routes to the United Kingdom, Hungary, and Greece.