Malta International Airport welcomed 296,250 passengers in February, a 25.2% increase  over the same period in 2016, in spite of the fact that this year the month was a day shorter.

This made February the fourth, consecutive winter month to register double-digit growth, in line with the airport’s strategy to attract more traffic in the shoulder months.

On the busiest day in February, which coincided with Carnival weekend, the airport was kept busy with 13,679 passengers passing through the terminal.

Aircraft movements rose by 22.3%, along with an increase of 29.4% in seat capacity.

Seat load factor, at 76.8%, registered a decrease of 2.6 percentage points over last year.

Malta International Airport’s top markets remained largely unchanged from January, with the United Kingdom topping the list followed by Italy, Germany, Belgium, and France. More than half of the 59,602 additional
passengers welcomed last month travelled from Italy, Germany and Belgium, with enhanced connectivity to these markets contributing to their notable growth.

Outside of the top five markets, Spain and Poland were important contributors to February’s total traffic, accounting for 12,435 passengers and 8,253 passengers, respectively. Both of these markets have been experiencing steady growth, following stepped-up efforts to redevelop the Spanish market and enhance
connectivity to Eastern Europe.