Gozo Channel passengers decrease marginally, fast ferry users surge by 38.4% in second quarter of 2024

The number of passengers on Gozo Channel trips decreased during the second quarter of 2024 (Q2 2024), while the fast ferry service experienced a surge in popularity with a 38.4 per cent increase in passengers.

According to figures released by the National Statistics Office (NSO) on Tuesday (today), between April and June 2024, there were a total of 11,320 trips carried out between Malta and Gozo, carrying close to 1.8 million passengers.

May was the busiest month, with 3,970 trips being carried out, representing 35.1 per cent of total trips for the quarter. This is interesting considering June had two public holidays falling on a weekend, while the only public holiday in May – Workers’ Day – came on a Wednesday.

Out of the total, 1,537,248 passengers travelled between Mġarr (Gozo) and Ċirkewwa (Malta) through Gozo Channel’s ferry service, a decrease of 0.3 per cent when compared to the same period in 2023.

When compared to the corresponding quarter of the previous year, the number of vehicles increased by 1.9 per cent, totalling 527,931.

The number of Gozo Channel trips during Q2 2024 amounted to 8,963, rising marginally by 0.7 per cent over the same period in 2023.

During the first half of 2024, passenger and vehicle traffic originating from Ċirkewwa was busiest on Fridays and Saturdays. Passenger traffic from the Mġarr terminal was busiest on Sundays and Saturdays, while vehicle traffic was highest on Sundays and Mondays.

On the other hand, there were 2,357 trips carried out between Mġarr and Valletta in Q2 2024, carrying a total of 252,960 passengers.

As a result, the number of trips increased by 4.6 per cent over Q2 2023, while the number of passengers rose drastically by 38.4 per cent.

May alone accounted for 40.8 per cent of passenger movements between Mġarr and Valletta for the quarter.

Both ferry services experienced disruptions during the quarter, particularly in April, as strong winds forced Gozo Channel to divert operations to Ċirkewwa South Quay, leading to delays, while Gozo Highspeed – the fast ferry service – had numerous trips cancelled.