Malta International Airport (MIA) welcomed over 4.5 million passengers in the first half of 2025, marking another period of strong performance as the airport extends its global connectivity and focuses on year-round tourism.

MIA’s network now spans 109 direct destinations, bolstered by the addition of five new airlines since January — including LOT Polish Airlines, Qatar Airways, and SAS Scandinavian Airlines. While Southern Europe remains the airport’s strongest regional market, accounting for 35% of scheduled and charter flights, the share has slightly declined from 37% last year, reflecting a strategic shift toward more diversified route development. Notably, connections with Northern and Eastern Europe are on the rise, aided by new routes to Helsinki and Copenhagen.

Winter travel has become a growing pillar of MIA’s strategy, with January through March contributing nearly 40% of the year’s total passenger traffic so far. The upcoming winter season will see Ryanair launch a new route to Gothenburg, while SAS will operate its Copenhagen route year-round for the first time. These moves align with the airport’s drive to position Malta as a year-round destination.

In July alone, over one million passengers passed through the terminal, with Italy and the United Kingdom leading the market share. Aircraft movements rose by 5.3% year-on-year to 6,375, while seat load factor remained stable at nearly 90%.

Passenger experience is also undergoing major improvements. MIA has adopted new European regulations allowing liquids in containers up to two litres and electronic devices to remain in hand luggage during security screening — a change enabled by EDS C3 security scanners. However, passengers are still advised to check return airport rules, as the update has not been implemented uniformly across the EU.

The airport’s €40 million terminal expansion project is advancing, with the first phase — an enlarged non-Schengen arrivals area — completed in June. This upgrade doubles the number of immigration booths ahead of the EU’s new Entry/Exit System, scheduled for rollout in October.

In 2024, MIA handled nearly 9 million passengers, a 15% increase from the previous year. The airport was recognised as Europe’s best in its category by Airports Council International and made progress in sustainability by launching a new photovoltaic farm and moving up a tier in the Airport Carbon Accreditation scheme.