Air Malta’s new livery will see its planes decked in bright red, yellow, blue and green as part of a rebranding exercise costing almost €2 million.
We must not underestimate the challenges ahead but I am optimistic
The new motto – Flying the Pride of Malta – colours, patterns and strategy were revealed yesterday during a business breakfast, where airline CEO Peter Davies described the expense as “an investment”.
“Changing our brand identity is about changing the hearts and minds of Air Malta’s workers,” he said, adding the cost was included in the restructuring plan approved by the European Commission.
Ironically, this good news was blunted by a setback the airline suffered yesterday after a Polish airline that had leased one of its aircraft stopped flying (see story on page four).
The rebranding exercise came under fire from the pilots’ union – the Airline Pilots Association (Alpa) – last week. It complained the expense was not justified when workers were being asked to make sacrifices.
But Mr Davies defended the exercise when asked about the pilots’ recriminations, drawing a distinction between Alpa and its members.
“Financially, we are making headway and a majority of pilots are enthusiastic about this change.”
Reacting, Alpa insisted there was no distinction between the union and its members.
“Alpa would like to assure Mr Davies that the body of pilots and Alpa are one and the same and this was confirmed with a 94 per cent majority secret vote during the last extraordinary general meeting held in June.”
The Air Malta planes would get new carpets and curtains but the seat covers would not be changed because of the prohibitive cost, Mr Davies explained.
The first six planes with the new livery will be ready by November.
The word “Malta” will feature prominently on the fuselage and the tail will still sport the white, Maltese eight-pointed cross. Workers will also get new uniforms. A video showing a historical timeline of the airline omitted the period in the mid-1990s when the company bought a number of RJ Avroliners, which led to millions of euros in losses.
When asked, Mr Davies skirted the controversy, insisting he would not comment about the case.
He said the company was on track to achieve the financial results as outlined in the restructuring plan. In the financial year that ends in March 2013, Air Malta is forecasting losses of €15 million, down from the €30 million registered this year.
“The first quarter results will soon be out but we are slightly ahead of budget,” Mr Davies said.
The optimism displayed by the airline’s senior management was tempered with a dose of realism by airline chairman Louis Farrugia.
Describing the rebranding exercise as “a milestone”, he said the task ahead was still very tough.
“We must not underestimate the challenges ahead but I am optimistic.”
Asked why the word “Air” had been removed from the logo on the aircraft, Mr Farrugia said this allowed the word Malta to be displayed much larger on the fuselage.
This tied in with the philosophy that Air Malta was a destination aircraft. The company’s name was still Air Malta, he insisted.
ksansone@timesofmalta.com