Malta International Airport is expecting a record 4.97 million passengers to pass through the airport by the end of the year.

In a statement, the company said the first six months of this year saw passenger numbers rise by 195,574 compared to the same period last year, an increase of 9.8 per cent.

MIA CEO Alan Borg said this increase was even more significant as the growth was registered in both peak and shoulder months, in line with the country's strategy to promote Malta as a year-round destination.

“The growth we've witnessed in the first six months has encouraged us to revise our original forecast for the year, announced in January. We are taking into consideration our performance so far, traffic development for the upcoming season and prevalent factors that shape the aviation environment,” said Mr Borg.

During June MIA registered an increase of 6.8% in passenger movements, continuing with the positive trends observed during the first five months of the year.

This growth was stimulated by an increase in seat capacity and airlines’ increased efficiency in filling up these available seats. Seat load factor (SLF) for the period between January and June reached 80 per cent, while seat capacity grew by 7.4%.

Malta’s top market remained the UK, with 612,413 passenger movements in the first six months of 2016, followed by Italy (459,657) and Germany (274,954).

Mr Borg today said he is not expecting any short-term effects on passenger number in the wake of last month’s Brexit vote.

He said the fall of the British pound had made travelling to Malta 10 per cent more expensive than it previously was. This impact may be offset by people who would previously opt for long-haul flights instead choosing to fly to Malta.

In the long-term, Mr Borg said he is not expecting a major regulatory impact in the aviation market once Britain leaves the EU.

The markets that registered the largest growth were Turkey (37%) and Switzerland (36.4%), following the introduction of more frequent flights leaving Malta International Airport to Istanbul and Zurich and Geneva, respectively.
 
MIA said it invested significantly in the passenger experience this year, including the embellishment of the security area, new x-ray machines, more signage, lift
replacements, washroom refurbishment and a new food court amongst others.

Tourism Minister Edward Zammit Lewis said the government is working on developing new source markets, which is of particular importance after the Brexit vote.