Just over 250,000 passengers travelled through Malta International Airport in August

• August traffic registered a drop of 69.4 per cent over August 2019
• August registered 99,204 passenger movements more than July
• Seat load factor (SLF) for the month at 54.9 per cent

Last August, Malta International Airport welcomed 252,022 passengers, translating into a drop in traffic of 69.4 per cent over the same month in 2019.

Since the airport’s reopening to commercial flights on 1 July 2020, the first two weeks of August have been the busiest for Malta International Airport in terms of the number of passengers handled.

A total of 459,440 seats were available on flights operated to and from Malta International Airport throughout August, with seat load factor (SLF) for the month standing at 54.9 per cent.

Malta International Airport’s top markets for the month under review were Italy, the United Kingdom, Germany, France and Poland, cumulatively accounting for 169,804 movements of August’s total passenger traffic.

While August was closed off with 99,204 passenger movements more than July, the introduction of Malta’s amber list together with various travel restrictions announced by other countries led to a weaker passenger traffic performance in the second half of the month.

Aviation and travel organisations, such as Airports Council International, have appealed for more harmonised quarantine measures and restrictions across countries that can help restore traveller confidence and contribute to the industry’s recovery.

In an economic analysis bulletin published on 31 August 2020, Airports Council International reported that the airport industry is anticipating a decrease of 58.4 per cent in traffic when compared to 2019, which equates to a loss of 5.6 billion passengers for the year.