Editorial

Just over a year ago, when Air Malta was celebrating 35 years of flight operations, The Times ran a leader - titled The "Birds Of Lead" That Continue To Soar - pointing out, among other things, that the national carrier faced challenges then, continued to do so along the years and was going through a testing time perhaps like never before. The leader concluded thus: "Maintaining a steady course is not easy but Air Malta has the experience and the necessary capabilities to move ahead. Provided all pull at the same rope, there is no reason why its 'birds' should not continue to soar".

Judging by what Air Malta's CEO, Joe Cappello, told The Sunday Times, that the airline was not afraid of competition but expected to operate in a level playing field, one is justified to fear that not all may be pulling at the same rope.

"An airline holding 20 per cent of your capacity and which is owned by foreign shareholders is worrying," he said with reference to Ryanair. Later in the interview he added: "I question the dependency that an airline with a 20 per cent market share can create with all its ramifications and the lack of a level playing field, which can hinder Air Malta's survival and sustainability."

"Malta cannot be over-dependent on Air Malta because we are owned by Malta," he rightly cautioned.

It does not seem to be the advent of low-cost airlines itself that is worrying Mr Cappello and, of course, Air Malta, but, rather, the danger of allowing them to have a significant hold on the tourism industry. One must also bear in mind that, in practice, low-cost airlines can operate freely within Europe, so when they make noises it is probably because they are after assistance of the pecuniary type!

It all boils down to sustainability, avoiding to put too many eggs in the same basket, especially in such a sensitive industry as civil aviation where a little turbulence can rock that basket to the extent that it can do a disproportionate amount of damage, and ensuring that one puts one's money where one's mouth truly is.

Given the way tourism and travel worldwide was developing, the government had very little option but to allow low-cost airlines to operate on the Malta route. What, however, one must not do is get carried away by the numbers. In this industry it is easy come, easy go and while low-cost airlines are welcome, they need to be well managed while not overlooking initiatives that have potential even if the results take longer to be evident.

Thus, for example, any code-sharing deals and close associations between Air Malta and other airlines need to be nurtured and constantly promoted, being careful not to throw any spanners in the works, even if unintentionally. In this regard, one would expect the government to leave no stone unturned to see that such relationships as that with Lufthansa Technik is reflected in closer collaboration between Air Malta and Lufthansa, a relationship that should be as close as possible: not a basic one but a five-star alliance!

Also, the shareholder must ensure that Air Malta is allowed to take those initiatives that consolidate its position and standing in the industry so that it could have a stronger foothold in markets and routes it deems lucrative.

Air Malta's "birds" must be able to spread their wings far and wide...