The number of people passing through the airport last month increased by 27,000 passengers – the equivalent of 50 fully-loaded Boeing 747 aircraft.

This figure translated to a 13 per cent increase over January of 2015, the Malta International Airport said yesterday. In a statement, MIA said that over the past five years, traffic in January had increased cumulatively by 40 per cent, as a result of Malta’s strategy to stimulate traffic during the shoulder months.

The company noted that further proof of this was the 11 per cent growth registered in the winter period so far, that is from November to January.

Last month’s growth is attributed to a nine per cent increase in seat capacity, driven by the Italian, Turkish, and Spanish markets. Traffic from the UK held on to its top market position, growing by 2.7 per cent.

Meanwhile an increase in flights to Munich contributed to a 17.2 per cent surge in German passengers, while the French market suffered losses of 16.7 per cent due to a reduction in routes.

London, Frankfurt and Rome were January’s top destinations, while Istanbul registered the most significant growth in passenger numbers with an increase of nearly 40 per cent.