Malta International Airport – Annouces Traffic Figures for 2016 and Forecasts for 2017
2016 ended on a positive note at the airport, with the Company reaching an important 5 million passenger milestone in December and exceeding expectations, closing the year having welcomed 5,080,071 passengers.
2016 traffic grew by 10% over the previous year, on the back of a 4.5% growth in aircraft movements and a 7.6% increase in seat capacity. Standing at 83.3%, seat load factor (SLF) for 2016 climbed up by 1.82 percentage points over the previous year, signalling a marked efficiency by airlines to fill up available seats.
A monthly break-down of passenger numbers for 2016, highlights that the airport succeeded in hosting more guests during its shoulder months than the previous year, with November and December registering the highest spikes in passenger numbers of 22.4% and 32.2%, respectively. Featuring 18 new connections and increased flight frequencies, Malta International Airport’s present winter schedule offers the most connections yet for this period and is expected to contribute to further growth in the shoulder months.
The top markets for 2016 were the United Kingdom, which saw an increase of 5.4 per cent, Italy, which grew by 15.3 per cent, Germany which grew by 8.0 per cent, France, registering a growth of 5.5%, and Spain, which registered a growth of 26.7 per cent.
The airport also revealed three new routes for summer 2017, namely Bordeaux operated by Volotea and Cluj Napoca and Katowice operated by Wizzair. Other interesting developments for the summer months include new airline Eurowings launching operations from Vienna next April and the first Malta to Malta Cruise and Fly service by P&O.
Works on the Terminal Reconfiguration project are now in full swing, and will stretch into the forthcoming year. On completion the terminal will be furnished with additional check-in desks, a security area that is double its current footprint, and a new Observation Deck and La Valette Lounge on Level 3.
While expressing satisfaction at the pace picked up by the works, Mr Borg MIA CEO commented that the project is a very important part of the airport’s constant efforts to provide guests with an enhanced journey that lives up to the Company’s vision of offering the best airport experience in Europe.
The Company also announced its forecast for 2017, with traffic expected to reach circa 5.2 million passenger movements by the end of the year, an increase of 2-3% over 2016
Finally, Mr Borg also presented the Company’s financial targets for the year:
· 5.2 Million passenger movements forecasted for 2017, an increase of 2-3% over 2016.
· Total Revenue is expected to reach over €73 Million.
· EBITDA is expected to reach over €40 Million.
· Net Profit is projected to reach over €20 Million.
· Capital Investments are estimated at €18 Million.
· Net Debt is estimated to be not more than €14 Million.
· Annual taxes and dividend contributions to Government are expected to be in the region of €14 Million.
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