It was positive the discussions with the European Commission are moving ahead, Air Malta said today.

The airline was reacting to comments by EU sources published in local media where it was stated that the European Union will delay its final decision on Air Malta's restructuring plan. The airline was urged move faster on implementing the restructuring.

Air Malta's chief executive Peter Davies said:

"The EU's decision to delay by at least four months the final decision on the restructuring plan comes as no surprise to us and was expected.

"This plan, presented to the EU last May, together with the interim financing solutions proposed, will allow Air Malta to maintain and where possible accelerate the restructuring of the airline.

"This decision is in line with our implementation plan that is intrinsically tied to the restructuring plan presented to the EU."

Over the last few months, in parallel to the discussions with the EU, Air Malta has embarked on an implementation plan that will see the airline restructure its operations and spearhead over 165 projects that span areas related to cargo, finance, corporate and financial restructuring, contracts management, ground handling, human resources, information technology and revenue enhancement.

It has also moved forward in its discussions with the unions to change restrictive work practices and right-size the airline. The ultimate aim of the plan is to increase the airline's revenue by €30 million and decrease costs by a similar amount.