Air Malta has been in the news for quite some time and there does not seem to be any solution to the real problem it faces. The past has been ample proof it is not a matter of financial aid or investment. Obviously, money input would help but times have shown that the cash would fly more quickly than the planes themselves.

What is really needed is an airline  with real aviation know-how. The fact that Air Malta is a small airline does not in any way make it more prone to losses.

Air Malta was born with the help of Pakistan Airways and, for more than 20 years, it was flying profitably despite the fact it was using PIA surplus, uneconomical Boeing 720Bs. The national airline grew at a fast pace and, although the late Albert Mizzi, its first chairman, had been showered with praise, the real contributors were PIA, which guided the new air carrier from the wings.

I will not repeat what I have written some weeks back as to what caused the airline to go bust, however, both political parties in government were to blame, together coupled with the suspension of the most profitable Libya routes.

The airline seriously needs know-how more than financial help. Pouring money into an ailing airline would only be throwing money down the drain.

It is a fact that the government decided to absorb the losses incurred and start afresh. However, there would not be any success if the airline keeps operating in its present set-up.

We need to go back to its infancy and find an aviation company, as PIA was, to offer a sound platform through which the national carrier can perform successfully.

The government has to give time to the new airline to post profitable results and, then, when this happens, the company shares can be offered to the public as an ongoing profitable organisation.

Only then can we be proud of our national carrier.

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