November traffic through MIA up by 15.8% • November: 14th consecutive month to register double-digit growth • Over 400,000 passenger movements recorded in November

Malta International Airport continued to register solid traffic results, even as it entered its winter period, with November becoming the 14th consecutive month to achieve double-digit growth in passenger movements.

Last month, the airport hosted over 55,000 passengers more than it did in 2016, closing off the month with a total of 405,724 movements. This translates into an increase of 15.8% over last year.

This record number of passengers was observed in parallel with an increase of 18.1% in aircraft movements and a 19.2% improvement in seat capacity. Seat load factor (SLF) for November, which marks airlines’ ability to fill available seats on flights, dropped slightly and stood at 79%.

The month’s top five markets accounted for more than half of the total passenger movements for November. The United Kingdom continued to top the leaderboard with over 100,000 passenger movements, followed by Italy, Germany, France and Belgium. While the first four markets all registered varying levels of growth, Belgium lost around 570 passenger movements when compared to 2016.

The biggest spike in passenger numbers was observed on the Polish market, which grew by 76.3% over last year. This strong increase can be attributed to added flights on the Gdansk, Krakow and Wro- claw routes. Other markets, which registered noteworthy growth stemming from improved flight schedules and additional capacity, include Turkey, Austria and the Netherlands.