Pilots' association refutes Air Malta's accusations

The Airline Pilots Association (ALPA) has hit out at Air Malta saying it was deceptive to say that its actions were designed to inconvenience passengers and raise costs.

The only actions ordered by ALPA were merely a dress down from full uniform, which was purely symbolic.

Replying to Air Malta's accusations in last week's The Sunday Times, ALPA issued a statement insisting that the costs and the delays mentioned by the airline were the result of pilot shortage.

The shortage of pilots was so severe that on several days no crew are placed on standby. Standby crew is required in the eventuality that another pilot reports sick.

The lack of standby crew was one of the main reasons why several flights have been delayed and even cancelled.

Air Malta's accusation that its pilots were being inflexible was unfounded. Over the last few years Air Malta lost 38 Maltese pilots from its Malta base and another 30 foreign pilots from its UK base.

"In the meantime, we have covered Air Malta flights in the UK base and we are currently operating an additional aircraft for Etihad Airlines in Abu Dhabi," ALPA said.

"The pilot shortage is real and it is only set to increase as currently over 20 pilots have notified ALPA that they are actively seeking employment with other airlines."

ALPA also expressed its concern at the airline's attitude towards its workers in general, and pilots in particular.

"There has been consistent and blatant abuse of the excessive flexibility which pilots have given Air Malta over the years, especially with regard to rest periods and duty time allocations," it said.

"At a time when industrial relations are strained and pilot morale is at its lowest, it becomes increasingly important for pilots to be vigilant and observe the obligations agreed contractually and those required by law."

Air Malta, it said, was trying to pin the delay of flight KM1122 (Catania-London, Gatwick-Catania-Malta) on the pilots' request to have their full contractual rest period after the Malta-Catania flight the evening before.

Even though the Catania flight was short, the duty for the London-Gatwick flight was over 11 hours and required three take-offs and three landings.

"This was why the crew opted to be well rested before undertaking such a long flight. The reason for the delay is crew shortage, exacerbated by the fact that flight duties are not planned properly," it said.

It added that the captain involved had offered to work a shorter flight immediately after landing in Catania, but this was refused by Air Malta even though this would have meant that the London-Gatwick flight would have departed on time.

Referring to Air Malta's statement that its captains will be flying well below the legal limit of 100 hours a month, ALPA said that flying 80 hours was much more than meets the eye.

With a typical monthly roster of 80 hours, a pilot would work about 16 flights and have at least four standby periods. This would equate to more than a normal 40-hour week, and usually meant that a pilot would not have used the off days to which he is entitled.

"When you consider that we work in a hostile environment (cabin altitude in an aircraft is 8,000 feet) - exposure to radiation, adverse weather conditions, continuous roster changes and work at extremely irregular hours - you would get a better idea of how physically and mentally demanding a pilot's job is," it said.

"Add to this the responsibility and challenges unique to our job and you would realise why annual and monthly legal limits are set and the importance of being properly rested before any flight."

ALPA also pointed out that a number of measures laid down in the collective agreement were not being followed, among them the fact that early morning flights should be assigned with discretion.

Instead, it was extremely common that the crew were put on a roster for two consecutive flights, which meant starting work earlier than 6 a.m. on two consecutive mornings.

The collective agreement also stipulated that crew were entitled to 24 days' leave each year, but last year, on average, crew were only granted half that leave. While some pilots were granted their whole leave entitlement, others were not given even one day's vacation leave in a whole year.

"Compound all these bad roster practices and you will see why ALPA has advised its members not to accept extra flights once the roster has been issued," it said.

It has also advised its members not to operate flights with less than the stipulated contractual rest.

"This is not 'unofficial' and it is not a directive, it is purely sensible advice to safeguard its pilots and all the passengers we carry. The Air Malta pilot community will not jeopardise safety in an effort to hide the current pilot shortage."