Air Malta confident of taking on new pilots as many leave

Air Malta has received a "very good response" to two internal calls for pilots, a spokesman told The Times.

One of the calls was for employees already in possession of a commercial pilot licence while the other was for those not in possession of the licence.

Air Malta has just issued an external call for pilots but has not yet decided how many will be recruited or whether they will be employed on a full-time basis.

A decision will be taken once the 2007-2008 flight schedule is finalised.

The spokesman said 25 pilots left the airline since September 2004, and eight have joined. He said it was a known fact that many airlines, particularly those operating from the Gulf region, were offering very attractive salaries and opportunities to foreign pilots.

"It is not in Air Malta's interest to lose employees who seek new pastures in other organisations, but it is normal in this day and age - when worker mobility is on the increase," he said, adding Malta's EU accession increased opportunities abroad.

He said the recently issued voluntary redundancy scheme was open to all staff, irrespective of their grade or duties.

"Every employee has a right to seek new opportunities in his personal interest and that of their family."

Earlier this week the Airline Pilots Association told The Times that Air Malta had lost 20 per cent of its pilots since 2004, with most leaving for Gulf airlines.

Association president James Fenech said Air Malta must align its pilots' pay and conditions with other airlines unless it wants the "pilot shortage" to continue.

Air Malta said it was a futile exercise to compare the remuneration of its pilots with those working with other airlines.

"One needs to take into account various other factors including the standard of living and wages in those countries and the pattern and type of operation of the carrier involved."