Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1546155
12 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 12 AUGUST 2026 NEWS JULIANA ZAMMIT jzammit@mediatoday.com.mt ITALY was Malta Inter- national Airport's (MIA) most popular destination in July, overtaking the United Kingdom for the first time since February. MIA said on Tuesday that this was driven by increased capacity added to several routes for the summer season. Just over a fifth of the airport's passengers trav- elled to or from Italy in July. Poland, which remains Malta's most well-con- nected market in Eastern Europe, also performed strongly during the month, with passenger numbers increasing by al- most 50% Germany and France ranked fourth and fifth, respectively, with Germa- ny registering a margin- al decline in traffic and France recording a 5.1% drop. This was the first time this summer that both markets slipped into neg- ative territory, mainly due to reduced flight fre- quencies on several routes connecting Malta to these countries. July's seat load factor stood at 87.6%, reflecting high utilisation of availa- ble seat capacity despite a 17.4% increase in capac- ity. This growth was driven by a rise in aircraft move- ments, with the Maltese Islands benefiting from an average of 108 daily flights over the summer months. Almost 1.2 million pas- sengers travelled through Malta International Air- port during July. For the first time since February, Italy overtook the UK as the most popular destination for travellers from MIA Italy was MIA's most popular destination in July Road traffic casualties rise in second quarter of 2026 The National Statistics Office says road traffic casualties increased by 16% in the second quarter of 2026, with a fall in the number of fatalities ROAD traffic casualties have ris- en by 16% when compared to the same period last year, according to figures released by the Na- tional Statistics Office (NSO). A total of 4,072 traffic acci- dents were reported during the second quarter of 2026, an increase of 1.1% over the same period in 2025. The Northern Harbour dis- trict recorded the highest num- ber of accidents, with 1,340 cas- es, accounting for 32.9% of the total. Road traffic casualties rose by 16.0% to 398 when compared to the same quarter last year. Of these, 146 people were griev- ously injured, comprising 86 drivers, 19 passengers and 41 pedestrians, cyclists and others. Two drivers and one pedes- trian died from their injuries, two fewer fatalities than in the same quarter of 2025. Most of those grievously in- jured were male, accounting for 72.6% of the total. The three fatalities involved two men and one woman. Nearly a third of all casualties, 29.4%, were aged between 26 and 40. Passenger cars accounted for the largest share of casualties at 41.7%, followed by motorcy- cles at 40.7% and goods-carry- ing vehicles at 6.8%. The fatal accidents involved two drivers crashing into a property and a vehicle hitting a pedestrian. During the quarter, 14 cyclists were involved in accidents, six of whom were grievously in- jured and eight slightly injured. Accidents between vehicles ac- counted for 57% of all casual- ties. Sunday recorded the highest number of casualties, at 75, while Thursday saw the most accidents, with 662 cases, or 16.3% of the total. The busiest time for accidents was between 12:00 and 14:59, with 942 cases (23.1% of the to- tal), followed by 15:00 to 17:59, with 880 cases. The quietest period was between 3:00 and 05:59, with just 35 accidents. Qormi recorded the highest number of accidents at locality level, with 223 cases, followed by Birkirkara with 211 and St Paul's Bay with 209. Fontana, San Lawrenz, Xgħajra and Ta' Kerċem each recorded fewer than five accidents, while no accidents at all were registered in Għasri. All districts recorded an in- crease in accidents except the Northern Harbour and West- ern districts. The Northern Harbour dis- trict saw a 1.9% decrease, while the Western district remained unchanged. The Southeastern district re- corded the highest percentage increase, at 8.2%. The highest number of casualties - 75 - were recorded on Sundays