Air Malta appeals to pilots over SkyParks
Union dispute over natural ventilation in training rooms
The SkyParks building is Malta’s first Grade ‘A’ office park, Air Malta said yesterday in a reply to a claim by the pilots’ union that their training rooms in the building are bereft of natural ventilation.
The airline said that the union – which registered an industrial dispute because of the new training rooms below ground level – needed “to rise above the canopy” and start “working together” with the airline’s management to address the important airline restructuring challenges that lay ahead.
On Saturday the Airline Pilots Association (Alpa) instructed members not to attend training in these rooms in the absence of a satisfactory air quality report. The union is insisting that the briefing room is inadequate and too small to cater for crews’ briefing needs.
Pilots had to assess flight and weather conditions and take important decisions and sometimes were required to spend up to seven hours daily in these rooms during courses, Alpa said.
Air Malta said the whole SkyParks building had been built in line with high standards, including ventilation requirements that have been strictly adhered to.
The airline said the same training rooms were used by the airline’s board of directors for board meetings lasting five to six hours at a stretch.
SkyParks had obtained a Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM) certification, which set the standard for best practice in sustainable building design, said Air Malta.
The pilots’ union issued a counter-statement questioning why the documentation it had requested had not been made available to it, “thus avoiding the whole issue”.
While it acknowledged the good BREEAM rating for SkyParks, its renewed its demand for an air quality report on Level O training rooms, which were orginally planned as car parks.
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K. Vella
Dec 24th 2012, 14:25
It is a common practice that they keep the side window open in their cockpit....
I am curious to know what happened on the late departing aircraft from Malpensa....
Charles Zammit
Dec 24th 2012, 14:16
Yes Air Malta employees are going slowly in the right direction !!!!!
E. Azzopardi
Dec 24th 2012, 12:04
What was the outcome of the incident with Capt Azzopardi who, as alleged, kept a plane waiting at airport as he was late? I believe it was stated that he was on holiday.
So can we know please?
Tom Broadley
Dec 24th 2012, 11:40
I would have thought that they would be bereft of natural ventilation when flying!!!
Philip Mizzi
Dec 24th 2012, 17:40
Mr Broadley, one can argue that it makes it more preferabale for them to have natural ventilation!
Toni Cardona
Dec 24th 2012, 10:50
Air Malta: SkyParks is Malta’s first Grade ‘A’ office park, with high standards of ventilation, good enough to obtain a BREEAM certification.
ALPA wants to see the 'high standards air quality' report on Level O training rooms.
Isn’t this a simple logical request that ought to be easily satisfied?
T Mifsud
Dec 24th 2012, 13:04
@Tony
Yes, but apparently Air Malta have something to hide thats why theyre washing dirty linen in public
E Schembri
Dec 24th 2012, 10:40
ALPA have lost all credibility.
First with the exaggerated salary increases, after the country had already made a huge sacrifice and gave them millions in financial aid to ensure their job security, now with this silly nonsense!
Do these people want to work or not??
Many Maltese workers have 100 times worse conditions for a fraction of the the pilots salary. So STOP grumbling & be grateful!
Victor Vella
Dec 24th 2012, 10:18
ALPA keep a united front as you always did and all the best. You are the envy of everybody. It is your unity that always brought you to success.
I Bugeja
Dec 24th 2012, 09:55
ALPA are loosing all credibility in the eyes of the common people... if they ever had any.
Peter Murray
Dec 24th 2012, 11:15
What about Air Malta's credibility sir-as it takes two to tango?
Peter Murray
Dec 24th 2012, 09:35
These claims by Air Malta against ALPA appear remarkably like accusations to me as opposed to a supposed "appeal" and further make a mockery of such purported appeals by claiming that ALPA "are putting forward shallow and superficial arguments" which,when allied with claims that ALPA "should rise above the canopy"-whatever this means?-cannot remotely be construed as a appeal.
Please choose the reason of your report below: