Air Malta has shaken up its senior management structure ahead of its “second phase of development”, the restructuring airline announced yesterday.
The airline’s management will be split up into five organisational business streams starting in March.
Chief executive Peter Davies said the airline was moving towards “self-sufficiency and profitability” but would have to enter a critical period of fine-tuning to improve its efficiency.
“While we have achieved some significant milestones, we are still not out of the woods.
“Much has still to be improved as we continue the vital path of profitability, without which we cannot survive,” he said.
“This is not only required since customers are expecting more but also since the airline now needs to make a profit,” he said.
Philip Saunders will carry on as chief commercial officer, spearheading Air Malta’s new onboard customer experience and improving revenue across all areas, including cargo.
Chief engineer Silvio Falzon will become the airline’s chief operations officer, taking ground operations and passenger handling under his wing to focus on safety, efficiency, despatch and reliability.
Air Malta’s chief financial officer Nick Xuereb will head the business services stream, in charge of finance, information technology and human resources.
Captain Mark Micallef Eynaud will continue in his chief officer flight operations role but will have the added responsibility of the Safety Management System, a new concept being introduced to encompass all aspects of airline safety.
Joshua Zammit will be responsible for the fifth stream as chief officer programme management, accompanied by a team of local project management professionals.
This area has until now been managed by Air Malta’s external consultants, Catalise, but their contract is now nearing its end.
“The full responsibility now needs to be transferred fully to Air Malta’s management team,” said the airline.
The first phase of this department’s life was to create the improved restructuring plan for the approval by the European Commission as well as to establish the framework, work groups and work flows necessary to begin the changes in the airline.
“The next phase needs to take that impetus and concept forward and continue changing and facilitating the way in which Air Malta carries out its business,” the company said.
The changes were announced to staff in a memo where Mr Davies spoke about the importance of consolidating the company’s gains and mapping out the future.
“We must get it right,” he said.