Malta International Airport Targets North America And Scandinavia

Our Route Opportunities feature explores the latest unserved and underserved routes promoted through Routes 360, providing supporting information for airline network planners to consider and capitalize on.

Malta International Airport (MLA) welcomed record passenger numbers in 2023, surpassing 7.8 million—a 6.7% increase over 2019. MLA expects to hit a new milestone in 2024, forecasting more than eight million passengers after seeing an 18.4% rise in movements during the first half of the year. With connections to 35 countries via more than 100 direct routes, MLA serves the growing tourism market for the Mediterranean island.

MLA is a year-round base for KM Malta Airlines, Ryanair, and easyJet. Since establishing its base at MLA, easyJet has launched routes to Amsterdam, Nice, and Bristol. Upcoming route launches include London Southend (SEN) in March 2025 and Liverpool (LPL) in December 2024, operating twice a week.

Ryanair has also recognized Malta’s potential having operated its biggest summer 2024 schedule to the island, including three new routes from Belfast, Norwich and Rome while increasing frequencies on 20 other routes.

KM Malta Airlines also recently boosted its Brussels route to 9X-weekly flights through December 2024 to meet demand, while Jet2.com began weekly flights to Malta from Edinburgh and Belfast International earlier this year, running until October 2024.

In addition to route development, MLA earned the Best Airport Award in the 5-10 million passenger category at the 2024 ACI Europe’s Best Airport Awards—its sixth consecutive year of recognition for service quality by Airports Council International. MLA also unveiled a €250 million ($279 million) investment plan for airport transformation by 2028, including terminal expansion to support growing traffic.

Known for its rich culture and charming seaside towns, Malta is home to three UNESCO World Heritage sites and is a popular location for Mediterranean cruise itineraries, generating thousands of passenger movements through the airport during the summer months.

The airport’s commitment to further enhancing the islands’ connectivity and attracting year-round tourism has highlighted a number of unserved and underserved route opportunities, particularly across Scandinavia and North America, on its Routes 360 profile. 

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