Malta International Airport expects to welcome 8.45 million passengers in 2024

Malta International Airport (MIA) on Tuesday (today) announced that it expects to welcome 8.45 million passengers by the end of 2024, surpassing 2023 results by approximately 650,000 passenger movements.

This comes as the airport adjusted its traffic forecast and financial guidance for 2024, with figures building on the record results achieved in 2023. Last year, the airport welcomed 7.8 million passengers, a 6.7 per cent increase in passenger traffic over 2019.

During the first quarter of 2024, the airport reported a strong performance, with the remaining months of the year expected to follow a similarly steady growth trajectory.

In April 2024, MIA welcomed 774,562 passengers, a 9.3 per cent increase in traffic volumes over the same period in 2023. This was achieved in parallel with a 9.6 per cent rise in aircraft movements.

While seat capacity deployed by airlines climbed by 10.5 per cent over 2023, the average seat occupancy on flights decreased marginally to stand at 83.8 per cent.

The top markets for the airport during April were Italy, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, and Poland. While the United Kingdom (23.9 per cent increase), Germany (4.5 per cent increase), and Poland (47 per cent increase) outperformed their respective 2023 results, the Italian and French markets suffered a year-on-year drop of 2.8 per cent and 3.8 per cent, respectively.

As a result of this strong performance so far in 2024, together with the positive outlook for the remaining months, MIA has also adjusted its guidance for the year.

In 2024, revenue is expected to reach €132 million, while earning before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) is set to amount to €82 million. Net profit will come in at €44 million, while capital expenditures (CAPEX) is expected to be close to €60 million.

MIA connects the Maltese archipelago to over 100 destinations. In 2023, it announced a five-year investment programme totalling €250 million, with the aim of enhancing its infrastructure to handle the increasing volumes of passengers.