Malta International Airport plc - January Traffic Results

On 14 February 2022, Malta International Airport plc published the January 2022 traffic results. These showed that although passenger movements surged to 159,357 compared to just under 40,000 in January 2021, last month’s traffic is 62% below the level of 418,000 passenger movements recorded in January 2020. Meanwhile, the seat load factor for January 2022 stood at 55.7% compared to 46.7% in January 2021 and 71% in January 2020.

MIA explained that Italy was the largest market in January 2022, followed by the UK, Poland, Germany, and France. In addition, whilst the French market had the strongest recovery rate over 2020, the Polish market was the only top market to register growth compared to 2020 as it outperformed both the German and French markets for the first time.

Looking ahead, the airport operator noted that Q1 2022 is expected to remain challenging. However, the recent easing of restrictions in important source markets coupled with the coming into force of the new intra-EU/EEA regime are expected to gradually restore normality in relation to air travel over the coming months.