Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1117384
16.05.19 5 NEWS MASSIMO COSTA MALTA International Airport has announced record profits of €30.3 million for 2018, rep- resenting a 25% increase over the previous year. The number of passenger movements also hit an all- time high, reaching 6.8 mil- lion last year, up by 13.2% over the 6.1 million recorded in 2017. e results were announced by airport CEO Alan Borg at MIA's Annual General Meet- ing on Wednesday, during which shareholders approved a total net divided of €0.12 per share. Calling 2018 "an extraordi- nary year", Borg highlighted that, for the fifth year running, the growth rate in passenger movements in the winter and shoulder months had out- paced that of the summer pe- riod. "Passenger traffic results are strong, having grown by over 13% in 2018, more than the av- erage of 6% demonstrated by other airports of similar size," Borg said. e airport – which won Air- port Council International's Airport Service Quality award for best European airport in its category last year – registered a total revenue of €92.2 mil- lion in 2018. Part of this income – 28.9% - came from the airport retail and property segment, Borg said, while the rest was related to passenger traffic. Two major milestones reached in 2018 were the opening of eight new check-in desks and the complete over- haul of the baggage handling system, he noted. "We put in place major investments in 2018, and reached two milestones: eight new check-in desks to improve the check-in process, and the completion of work to total- ly revamp the baggage han- dling system, with this having started being operational last month." Passenger movements, profit expected to rise Passenger traffic is expected to rise by 5.8% to 7.2 million in 2019, while profits should increase to €31 million, Borg said. Capital investment this year will be strengthened by over €20 million, through invest- ments in terminal expansion, a new apron, the construction of Sky Parks 2 and a the build- ing of a multi-storey car park, he said. "In 2018 we obtained the Planning Authority's approval for MIA's master plan, which opens the door for further in- vestment, such as in Sky Parks 2, more office space and ex- panding the airport to reach higher passenger traffic tar- gets," he underscored. Sky Parks 2 will include 4,600 sq.m space for a 80-90 bed- room hotel and 22,000 sq.m which will be used for offices and shops. "We are in the final stages of choosing the architects who will be working with us on this project, and our aim is to get it approved by the MIA Board by early 2020." When it comes to the ter- minal expansion, studies have commenced to determine fu- ture requirements in this re- gard, and the new terminal will be catering for the expect- ed growth, Borg pointed out. A 46,000 sq.m space has also been earmarked for a new apron, he said. At the same time, the devel- opment of a multi-storey car park, which should be com- pleted by 2020, is also under way. Ryanair is king Ryanair was the top airline in terms of passenger traffic in 2018, with over 2.42 million movements. It was followed by Air Malta, EasyJet, Wizz Air and Lufthansa, with 2.034 million, 391,206, 331,478 and 310,245 passenger movements respectively. Wizz Air enjoyed the largest increase in traffic, at 30.6%, followed by Air Malta, EasyJet and Ryanair with 22.5%, 20%, 11.3% respectively. Lufthansa's increase was of 1.3%. MIA registers record €30.3m profit, 13.2% rise in passenger movement in 2018 Bye-Law of 2018 about Loitering in Ħamrun (Ħamrun Local Council) The Ħamrun Local Council notifies residents that the publication as to Article 35 of the Local Councils Act (Cap.363), Draft Bye-Law about loitering in Ħamrun is available for the attention of the public at the office of the Ħamrun Local Council between 8.00am and 11.30am from Monday to Saturday. This bye-law was discussed at the Council meeting held on Thursday, 30th August, 2018 at 5.30pm Terminal expansion, new apron and construction of SkyParks 2 in the pipeline for Malta International Airport, CEO Alan Borg tells delegates at the airport's Annual General Meeting Malta International Airport CEO Alan Borg