Airport boss Alan Borg says time to remove COVID restrictions as travel picks up

Passenger targeted visitors into Malta Worldwide Airport registered a sevenfold improve above the very same thirty day period in 2021, while even now remaining 45.2% below pre-pandemic 2019 concentrations at 196,000.

But MIA has appealed for the elimination of reminaing vacation constraints, with traffic figures demonstrating symptoms of desire-driven recovery in tourism. 

Over the several years, MIA’s targeted visitors for the thirty day period of February has been constantly lower or marginally much better than January visitors. Last February’s traffic bucked the development as it registered a significant improve of 24% in excess of January.

“This double-digit growth suggests that the easing of vacation limits, most of which experienced been released at the close of 2021, unleashed a pent-up need for air vacation,” MIA CEO Alan Borg saod.

“Further indicating that this enhance was driven by demand rather than improved capability, is the drop of 3 for each cent in February’s seat capacity compared to January’s.” 

Standing at a balanced 70.7%, the seat load factor (SLF) for February was just 5.1 per cent decreased than 2019 degrees.

“Our visitors results for February plainly demonstrate that two decades into the Globe Wellness Organisation’s declaration of a pandemic, people today are all set to journey once again. At the very same time, our industry is facing a spate of new uncertainties and difficulties, these kinds of as climbing oil selling prices which are probable to thrust up fares, which are stemming from the war in Ukraine,” Borg reported.

“With the summertime period now just months away, it is imperative that governments heed our industry’s appeal in relation to COVID-19 limitations. The elimination of travel restrictions would not only assistance raise shopper self confidence, but also give sector stakeholders the assurance to invest in their firms and be optimistic for the future at this incredibly sensitive time.” 

February noticed the United Kingdom declare the leading location in Malta Intercontinental Airport’s marketplace leaderboard. From among the the most well known five markets, the United Kingdom experienced the strongest expansion level about February 2021. Back again then, stringent journey constraints between the two nations around the world had constrained website traffic from this marketplace to just 841 passenger actions. Italy, France, Poland and Germany designed up the relaxation of the leaderboard, with a cumulative market share of 42.3 per cent.

Airports Council Global (ACI), of which Malta Intercontinental Airport is a member, and the Intercontinental Air Transport Affiliation (IATA) on Friday referred to as for the elimination of all remaining COVID-19 limits making use of to intra-EU and Schengen region journey, which includes tests specifications, the want to existing proof of vaccination and the require to total a Passenger Locator Variety (PLF).