A key consultant on Air Malta’s restructuring, who was being earmarked to become the airline’s next CEO, has left, The Times has learnt.

The Finance Minister had, for the past weeks, been actively engaged in talks with Dutchman Cor Vrieswijk, former operations director of low-cost carrier easyJet, for him to take over as the national carrier chief executive. However, he decided to quit as a consultant and has left the island.

His departure comes as the government enters into delicate negotiations on the restructuring plan prepared by consultants Ernst & Young, which has already been shot down by the pilots’ union, the General Workers’ Union, and yesterday, the Labour Party.

Asked about the resignation, a Finance Ministry spokesman said: “He could not have resigned because he was never engaged in the first place,” referring to the position.

Mr Vrieswijk was closely involved with easyJet during a restructuring process and then left in October 2010 after four years working for the low-cost carrier.

“Cor Vrieswijk has resigned and easyJet has agreed to his early departure so that he can better balance his work and private life in Holland,” the company had said.

However, the Financial Times had reported Mr Vrieswijk left after a summer of delayed flights and cancelled services at the budget airline.

The news comes as Labour yesterday joined the GWU (both forming part of the steering committee overseeing Air Malta’s restructuring) in criticising the report drawn up by Ernst & Young.

Without going into details for fear of “being accused” of disclosing commercially-sensitive information, party leader Joseph Muscat said the plan had “serious flaws and shortcomings”, showing the lack of seriousness and incompetence with which the government was treating the restructuring of the national airline.

He did say the plan ignored important sectors such as the carriage of cargo and major expenses the company had to incur including the cost of fuel.

The government should have highlighted such basic mistakes, especially since the future of Air Malta affected not only hundreds of families but also thousands of families whose livelihood depended on tourism, he said.

Dr Muscat pointed out the government analysed the report before handing it to the rest of the steering committee but only asked the consultants to make “fundamental changes” after it was criticised by the unions.

Among the proposals known to be contained in the plan is the controversial shedding of about half of the airline’s 1,200-strong workforce.

Dr Muscat complained about the confidentiality agreement the government wanted the opposition to sign before being allowed to see the report.

The party believed there was a future for Air Malta and wanted to give its total contribution but it was not being allowed to do so by the government, he said.

Air Malta, he added, needed to broaden its horizons to become stronger but this did not appear to be the government’s aim.

He recalled how, three years ago, Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi told the airline workers the carrier had a bright future, pointing out the situation was very different now.

He said the opposition would remain on in the committee in the interest of the workers but hoped the government would heed its call to help the airline get the restructuring process on track.

The union representatives have asked for one-to-one meetings with the Finance Ministry before attending another steering committee meeting to discuss and give their feedback on the report.

In a reaction to Dr Muscat’s comments, the Finance Ministry said the opposition was doing its best to undermine the airline’s restructuring process and only made criticism instead of suggesting solutions.