NEWS | Wednesday, 06 February 2008

Ryanair delivers 70% of Malta’s tourism growth last year

Low cost carrier Ryanair yesterday welcomed Malta International Airport’s 2007 full year statistics which showed that Ryanair delivered 70% of the island’s air passenger growth last year.
Ryanair carried 222,000 passengers to/from Malta in 2007 and now operated 8 routes, 5 of which started as recently as October and December. Ryanair said it would deliver at least 350,000 passengers to/from Malta this year, generating a visitor spend of €70m and supporting 350 local jobs.
“There is no reason why this growth could not be even bigger, given the clear demand for Ryanair’s guaranteed lowest fares to and from the island,” the Irish airline said in a statement.
Welcoming the record statistics, Ryanair’s Peter Sherrard said: “Ryanair’s low fares have generated unprecedented growth for Malta and demonstrated that while others talk, we deliver.
“However, this growth is just touching the surface of what could be achieved by opening many more low fare routes. We hope the Maltese Government will now take the initiative and unlock the island’s true tourism potential by supporting the rapid development of low fare routes for the benefit of the island, people and economy of Malta,” he said.