Gozo Channel carried 2,961,616 passenger movements and 1,004,984 vehicles between Mġarr and Ċirkewwa during the first half of 2026.
The service completed 16,921 ferry trips between January and June, according to figures obtained by combining the National Statistics Office’s first- and second-quarter transport data.
The passenger figure represents movements recorded across individual crossings. It should therefore not be interpreted as 2.96 million different people.
Three Quarters of Malta–Gozo Sea Trips
Across all sea services connecting Malta and Gozo, the NSO recorded 22,556 trips and 3,549,234 passenger movements during the first six months of 2026.
Gozo Channel’s Mġarr–Ċirkewwa service consequently represented approximately 75% of all trips and 83% of passenger movements recorded between the islands.
The remaining activity included the Mġarr–Valletta fast ferry service and, from 5 May 2026, the newer routes connecting Mġarr with Sliema via Buġibba. Those newer routes carried 77,733 passengers during their first operating quarter.
A Busier Second Quarter
Gozo Channel’s results varied across the two quarters.
Between January and March, the company operated 7,743 Mġarr–Ċirkewwa trips, carrying 1,321,358 passenger movements and 445,351 vehicles.
Compared with the first quarter of 2025, passenger movements increased by 0.5%, while trips and vehicle movements decreased by 5.7% and 5.8% respectively.
Activity increased between April and June. During the second quarter, the service completed 9,178 trips and carried 1,640,258 passenger movements and 559,633 vehicles.
When compared with the corresponding quarter of 2025, trips increased by 2.8%, passenger movements by 3% and vehicles by 2%.
What the Daily Average Means
Gozo Channel’s supplied graphic describes the six-month total as an average of 94 trips per day.
The 16,921-trip total works out at approximately 93.5 trips across the 181 calendar days between January and June, meaning the company’s daily figure is best understood as an approximate average.
The broader figures nevertheless show the scale of the service. During the six-month period, the ferries carried an average of more than 16,000 passenger movements and over 5,500 vehicle movements per calendar day.
For anyone who regularly depends on the crossing, the significance lies less in the corporate milestone and more in the amount of everyday movement taking place between Malta and Gozo.
The first-half totals also confirm that the Mġarr–Ċirkewwa service continued to carry the largest share of sea passengers and trips between the islands.
Source: National Statistics Office (NSO Malta); Gozo Channel Operations Limited
