Traffic results for May unscathed by volcanic ash aftermath. - 6/3/2010
Despite expected dregs of the volcanic ash disruptions, Malta International Airport has reported an outstanding 19.3% increase which corresponds to 307,292 passenger movements registered for the month of May, in comparison to the same period last year. Moreover, passenger movements for the first five months of this year, compared to the same period last year, have registered an increase of 7.7% for the total 1,049,580 passenger movements. The positive result is mainly due to the increased capacity of seats and accessibility enhanced by additional routes and the seat load factor.
Flight movements for the month of May increased by 13.8% over May 2009 and the seat load factor registered a 2.8 percentage point difference. The maximum take-off weight (MTOW) has risen by 13.2%, whilst cargo increased by 16.9% when compared to the same period in 2009.
This performance comes as a welcome boost of traffic figures after a rather dismal April which was marred by the Icelandic eruptions that affected the European airspace.
The core markets all registered significant increases in May with Spain leading with a 134% over the same month last year. On the other hand Rome's Fiumicino airport ranked highest as top destination in contrast to the British airport destinations that expectedly marked a decrease as still affected by the volcanic ash consequences.