The number of passengers at the Republic of Malta's only commercial airport, Luqa, in February 2022 was around half the level it was in the same period in 2020. 196.895 passengers were counted.

February 2020 was still largely unaffected by the corona crisis. At that time, Luqa had 421.567 passengers. In a direct comparison with the volume of the same month of the previous year, it was about six times higher, but significantly below February 2020. Malta International Airport is a subsidiary of Flughafen Wien AG.

The average load factor of the flights was 2022 percent in February 70,7, 5,1 percentage points below the pre-crisis level. Connections to the United Kingdom were the most popular. Italy, France, Poland and Germany together had a market share of 42,2 percent.

“Our traffic results for February clearly show that two years after the World Health Organization declared a pandemic, people are ready to travel again. At the same time, our industry faces a number of new uncertainties and challenges, such as: B. the rising oil prices, which are likely to push up air fares due to the war in Ukraine. With the summer season just weeks away, it is imperative that governments heed our industry's call regarding COVID-19 restrictions. The lifting of travel restrictions would not only boost consumer confidence but also give industry players the confidence to invest in their businesses at this very sensitive time and to look to the future with optimism,” said Alan Borg, CEO of the International Airport Malta.