90.7%  of air passengers carried from or to Malta International Airport in 2015 were traveling within the European Union, whilst a mere 9.3% where to countries outside the EU, according to findings published by Eurostat last week.

The interactive report by the EU's statistical office, titled 'Air Traffic in The European Union 2015' also   listed the top five most important routes taken by each airport in the European Union in that year.

London Gatwick was found to be the most popular destination when flying from Malta International Airport, registering the highest number of flights and passengers, according to the report.  

Throughout that year, 169 396 passengers flew to London Gatwick, on board a total of 1 236 flights. Frankfurt/Main was the second most popular flight destination, having been frequented by 141 516 passengers, on board a total of 935.

Rome's Fiumicino airport was the third most popular airport in 2015, followed by London Heathrow and Manchester airport, meaning that out of the five positions, airports in the United Kingdom featured three times, revisiting the fact that the country is an overwhelmingly popular destination amongst Maltese citizens.

The report also showed that, in all five destinations, the number of passengers and flights had increased from the prior year.