More Tourists Coming To Malta, More Maltese Going Abroad? Flights Rise 12.4% In August

Malta’s skies got noticeably busier this summer, with new Eurostat figures showing that the country recorded the second-largest increase in commercial flights across the EU in August 2026.

Compared with August 2025, the number of commercial flights linked to Malta increased by 12.4%. Only Slovakia recorded a larger rise, while Estonia followed Malta in third place.

So what does commercial flights actually mean?

In simple terms, these are flights operated as part of a business service. They include the passenger flights most people use when travelling with airlines, as well as charter flights, cargo flights and mail flights.

Malta therefore experienced significantly more airline traffic this August. This could reflect more tourists travelling to Malta, more Maltese residents travelling abroad, or a combination of both.

However, the figures do not show exactly who was travelling, as Eurostat is counting flights rather than passengers.

They also do not mean passenger numbers increased by exactly 12.4%, since one flight could be full while another may have fewer people on board.

Nevertheless, the figures show that Malta had a much busier August in the air compared with the same month last year. Across the EU, commercial flights also increased, but Malta’s rise was considerably stronger than the overall EU increase.

For a country that relies heavily on air travel for tourism, holidays, business and connectivity, the figures provide another indication of how busy Malta’s 2026 summer travel season was.

#MaltaDaily