Malta International Airport hosted more than a quarter of a million passengers last month, an all-time record for November.
In total, the airport welcomed 256,305 passengers in November, marking a 2.9 per cent increase compared to the same month last year. This occurred despite aircraft movements having decreased by 1.8 per cent.
"This proves that the country's strategy to drive traffic during the off-peak season is reaping the desired results. It is very satisfying to report record numbers almost every month. However, it is the traffic registered in the winter months that really shows the progress we are making as a country in our mission to boost tourism during the shoulder months. These results are also thanks to the coordinated effort by the Ministry for Tourism, the Malta Tourism Authority and all our partner airlines," said Markus Klaushofer, Chief Executive Officer at Malta International Airport.
The rise in passenger numbers was largely due to a record seat load factor of 80.4 per cent, up from 76.4 per cent last November. The seat load factor, which is the percentage of aircraft seats being filled, helped to compensate for the drop in capacity.
In November, all the airport's main markets registered an increase in passenger movements when compared to the same period last year. The UK remains Malta's top market, seeing an increase of 3.8 per cent in passengers passing through the airport. Meanwhile, Italy and Germany increased traffic by 2.5 per cent and 2.8 per cent respectively.
Turkey managed to climb into the five major markets when it registered a 75.3 per cent increase in passenger traffic when compared to the same period last year. This is a direct result of the increased capacity on this route, with daily flights to and from Istanbul.
Between January and November this year, Malta International Airport saw an increase of 6.5 per cent when compared to last year's figures, hosting a total of 4,063,836 passengers.
The maximum take-off weight (MTOW) decreased by 3.3 per cent and cargo and mail decreased by 8.8 per cent.