Air Malta’s third quarter results were expected to show improvement, Finance Minister Tonio Fenech said yesterday.

The national airline, which has undergone heavy restructuring, carried 1.6 million passengers in 2012 over 7,100 return flights but with 10 per cent less capacity than the year before, Mr Fenech said during a visit to Malta International Airport.

The airline's third quarter results will be announced tomorrow.

Accompanied by MIA CEO Markus Klaushofer and Tourism Minister Mario de Marco, Mr Fenech thanked the airport for its contribution to the Maltese economy, creating “an important link to the world”. The Finance Minister also stressed it was important for MIA to continue investing in the economy, through Skyparks for example, while supporting the growing aviation industry.

The Government invested significantly in the Malta Tourism Authority, increasing its budget by €12.5 million during its legislature, he said.

Dr de Marco said the airport was a valuable stakeholder in the tourism industry with a record 3.6 million passenger movements in 2012 – a third consecutive record year.

These figures reflected the performance of the tourism industry, which registered a record three years in a row, he noted.

Dr de Marco also referred to recent statistics that showed a record number of cruise liner passengers visiting Malta last year, amounting to more than 608,700 passengers.