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11.07.19 7 NEWS A busy first half of 2019 saw Malta International Airport welcome over 3.2 million pas- sengers. The company announced its mid-year traffic results this week, highlighting an in- crease of 5.9 per cent in pas- senger movements over the same stretch last year. Malta Airport CEO Alan Borg said that the airport's performance in the first half of the year confirms the com- pany's confidence in its fore- cast of 7.2 million passenger movements expected by end of year. While record passenger numbers were registered every month in 2019 so far, with a 10.5 per cent increase in traffic, April was the fast- est-growing month for this period. This was followed by June, which registered an up- turn of 8.8 per cent. Referring to the analyses published last week by Air- ports Council International (ACI) in its Airport Industry Connectivity Report 2019, Borg said that Malta Interna- tional Airport's connectivity doubled between 2009 and 2019, putting it in the lead in a group of 26 airports in the European Union. "These solid results stem from Malta International Air- port's constant efforts, made together with government and our main tourism stake- holders, to make sure that the islands are served by the most convenient connections all year round," he said. "The launch of three new routes this October, the ex- tension of 17 routes from summer into the upcoming winter season, and increased flight frequencies on several routes, allow us to look ahead with confidence, whilst en- couraging us to keep working on securing sustainable traf- fic." Minister for Tourism Kon- rad Mizzi welcomed the positive results registered in terms of increase in passen- ger traffic. He said that these positive results reflect government's and Malta International Air- port's strategy and efforts in enhancing Malta's connectiv- ity with key tourism and busi- ness markets. Mizzi said he was pleased to note MIA appeared on track to reaching its next milestone of 7 million passenger move- ments by the end of this year. Malta Tourism Authority Executive Chairman Gavin Gulia welcomed the positive traffic results. He re-affirmed the authori- ty's commitment to working with the airport to enhance airline connectivity to the Maltese islands with the aim of diversifying and further boosting tourism. • 5.9 per cent traffic growth in first half of 2019 • 3 new routes for winter and 17 route extensions the winter season • Malta Airport outperforms 25 EU airports in terms of connectivity growth Over 3.2 million passengers welcomed at Malta International Airport in first half of 2019 The Directorate for Research, Life- long Learning and Employability will be organising a number of Course Tasters between the 16 and 20 July. The organisation of these Course Tasters is an outreach initiative to prospective adult learners, who are invited to discover the significance of Lifelong Learning. Pursuit of knowledge for personal or professional reasons not only enhanc- es social inclusion, active citizenship, and personal development, but also sustainability, competitiveness and employability. This is in line with the aims of the Malta National Lifelong Learning Strategy, 2020. There will be around 20 course tasters to choose from, including Psychology, Photography, Chinese, Italian, Spanish, Creative Knitting, Electrical Installation, Automotive Engineering, Maltese as a Foreign Language, Card Making and ICT for Beginners. A list of all the Course Tasters that will be available can be found at www. lifelonglearning.gov.mt. The Taster sessions will be held at the Msida Lifelong Learning Centre, and will take place in the morning or in the afternoon. The duration of each session will be three hours. During these sessions, the partici- pants will be given a basic introduc- tion on the subject, and an overview of what to expect if they enrol in any of the lifelong learning courses. Courses will be available online from 17 July to 7 August. Course tasters to provide insight into 2019 Lifelong Learning Courses

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