More delays as pilots blame staff shortage

A number of Air Malta flights were delayed recently as pilots continue lamenting the shortage of staff.

The Airline Pilots Association (Alpa) said the problem could persist unless Air Malta management sorted out the pilots' conditions, claiming there were days when there were no standby pilots. Flight crew are legally bound to have a minimum 10-hour rest between flights.

The airline has rebutted the claims of a severe pilot shortage, saying that, while a number had left the airline, it had an ongoing recruitment plan, adding that Air Malta's pilots average block hours have risen in recent years.

Yesterday, a spokesman would not confirm or deny the delay claims, saying only that negotiations with Alpa were ongoing and it was therefore premature to comment.

The association recently ordered an indefinite dress-down in protest against the shortage of its pilots and bad working conditions.

In a statement Alpa said it has been insisting that Air Malta would face delays, or even cancellations if it does not tackle its unprecedented pilot exodus. "Now, in the peak of its operation, since the second half of June, numerous flights have been delayed," it said.

Alpa gave several examples of recent flight delays, among them to Catania, Reggio and Rome, Berlin, Brussels, Manchester and London, ranging from three-quarters of an hour to over three hours in duration.

"In an effort to avoid cancellations, numerous flights have been combined. This means that two separate flights are operated as one. For example a flight leaves Malta outbound for Rome and on the way 'back' proceeds to Geneva to cover the Malta to Geneva service.

"This means that passengers bound for Geneva are treated to an extra stop in Rome, not to mention the Malta bound passengers from Rome having to fly up to Geneva prior to arriving in Malta," Alpa said.

Alpa said pilots are being scheduled extra duties on days "which should be devoted to family life, just as an office worker has weekends". This, it said, is assumed by the company to be the norm, when in actual fact it should be the odd exception.

The pilots' association said the Air Malta management keeps insisting that there are enough pilots, however, it said, the facts show otherwise.

"One of the worst affected flights was the London-Gatwick flight originating out of Catania on September 8. On this occasion, due to crew rest requirements, the crew were delayed on their previous flight into Catania. This had a knock-on effect on the London flight which ultimately arrived in London over three hours late, consequently numerous passengers lost their onward connections to other destinations and had to be given accommodation pending another onward flight," Alpa said.