No new details emerged from a briefing session on Air Malta that Tourism Minister Edward Zammit Lewis held behind closed doors with the social partners, Times of Malta has learnt.
At the briefing session on Wednesday, Dr Zammit Lewis made a presentation to the members of the Malta Council for Economic and Social Development on the state of play at the national airline and how the government is addressing the issue.
Officials present described the meeting as positive but noted that “no concrete details” were given and “everything still seems to be in the balance”.
The social partners were told Air Malta had been losing money for a long time for various reasons, including handsome collective agreements negotiated in the past. The agreement with the pilots was singled out, with Dr Zammit Lewis noting that it was “on the very high end”, an official who attended the briefing said, while insisting on anonymity.
“Someone still has to explain to me how a pilot at Air Malta can retire at the age of 55 and we give him a €350,000 golden handshake,” the minister was reported as saying. He also reportedly complained about the high wages given to pilots, quoting figures of €115,000 a year.
Few details on the ongoing negotiations with Alitalia were given. According to a memorandum of understanding signed last April, the talks had to be wrapped up by the end of last August.
“Dr Zammit Lewis’s presentation practically omitted the fact that the government had to conclude negotiations with Alitalia. It was as if these are not taking place,” an MCESD member said.
“When some asked about it, the minister said he could not give any details, as he did not want any speculation. However, he warned us not to believe whatever is reported by the media,” another member added.
Describing the meeting as “helpful”, a member noted that it was important for the minister to list the most important decisions to be taken, such as finding a strategic partner, and that the government was committed to keeping the majority of Air Malta shares. “Yet we didn’t learn anything that we hadn’t already read about in the newspapers,” he added.
The government insists talks with Alitalia are ongoing, even if no developments are known to have been registered. However, earlier this week, Dr Zammit Lewis did not exclude the possibility of a change in direction, saying the government was not putting all its eggs in one basket.
The government has been seeking a strategic partner for Air Malta for more than a year.
Although Etihad, through Alitalia, was eyeing the Maltese national carrier, it seems the Abu Dhabi based airline is now having second thoughts on its overall strategy for Europe. Earlier this week, Etihad announced that it was reviewing its European investment strategy, which could include pulling out of Alitalia.
ivan.camilleri@timesofmalta.com