Malta International Airport is forecasting a growth of 2.6 per cent in airline seats and a two per cent increase in passenger movements this year, according to chief executive officer Markus Klaushofer.

He said the airport had increased its efforts to attract more flights and airlines to cover the shoulder months and this had already paid off last year when passenger increases were registered in October, November and December. Last year, the airport saw a 10.5 per cent increase in passenger movements, with close to 400,000 more passengers passing through the airport.

It also saw a 9.1 per cent increase in aircraft movements and a 10.2 per cent increase in seat capacity. Air Malta carried 1.76m passengers, close to 100,000 more passengers last year than the year before, which translates into a six per cent increase.

Ryanair was the biggest gainer last year. It carried 1.1 million passengers, almost 179,000 more passengers than 2012.

It was followed by Lufthansa which carried nearly 41,000 more passengers. Passengers carried by Emirates and Easyjet dropped by 6,000 each while Alitalia carried over 5,000 fewer passengers.

Mr Klaushofer said he was pleased to note that four new airlines were introducing flights to and from Malta, connecting the island to the UK, Vienna, Nantes in France and Rome. He said discussions were under way to attract more airlines from other destinations, particularly the non-Schengen countries. Germany was also a major target this year, he said, as he added that the Culture Capital 2018 was an added bonus for Malta.