The Nationalist Party urged the government yesterday not to accept that Air Malta reduce its routes and insisted that the country must not give up control over route changes.

In a statement, the party urged all parties involved in discussions to pull the same rope and work towards the same aim: the growth of the national airline.

PN MPs Claudio Grech, Antoine Borg and Ċensu Galea called on the government to share the business plan proposed by Alitalia with the workers’ representatives to address the uncertainty of workers and their families.

“The main stakeholders should have a clear picture of the situation. This will help all involved parties reach the common goal of safeguarding Air Malta’s future. It is vital for unions to have access to the business plan, which paves out the future of the airline,” the MPs stressed.

They argued that this would also help to put to rest any speculation regarding the workers’ future.

It is vital for unions to have access to the business plan, which paves out the airline’s future

The MPs stressed that the discussions should be held with the four unions together and that workers should be aware of the ongoing negotiations.

The PN will continue putting forward its proposals and ideas on the matter, they said, adding: “Although we are not against introducing a strategic partner, Alitalia should not receive half of the airline’s shares without giving any substantial contribution to the airline’s capital.”

The PN said it would prefer if Air Malta’s capital base were to be pushed by domestic investment.

Last week, The Sunday Times of Malta reported that Alitalia is proposing a four-year business plan to the government, between 2017 and 2020, in exchange for a 49 per cent stake in Air Malta.

The plan, still unpublished, would see Air Malta cease flying to almost a third of its present European destinations and instead increase the frequency to North Africa and the Middle East.

This would include direct, point-to-point connections with Tunis, Tripoli, Casablanca, Larnaca and even Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:
Please select at least one mailing list.

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.