Downsizing Air Malta’s fleet would be a “short-sighted” decision that would only make it harder for the ailing airline to face competition, the Nationalist Party warned.

Air Malta has announced it will be cutting its fleet by up to a third in a bid to save €8 million a year. Under the plan, the carrier will operate seven aircraft in winter and eight in summer, down from its present fleet of 10 planes.

“This 30 per cent contraction in the airline’s fleet will result in the loss of further economies of scale, making this more a case of ‘penny-wise pound-foolish’, wiping out most of the savings being anticipated through the termination of the leases,” shadow economy minister Claudio Grech told Times of Malta.

In his opinion, the airline should be seeking ways of how to expand its markets rather than become less relevant in the aviation landscape.

In spite of the planned cost cutting exercise, Air Malta has pledged to keep operating all existing routes and carry the same number of passengers by increasing aircraft utilisation to 14 hours per day. Mr Grech questioned such a rationale.  In peak periods the airline would invariably need to lease an aircraft complete with crew, maintenance and insurance costs. Such a measure could cause friction with unions which, in recent months, were faced with a decision to axe a number of part-time employees, including cabin crew. 

Tourism Minister Edward Zammit Lewis has backed Air Malta’s plan, saying the maximum utilisation of aircraft was fundamental for the airline’s viability. Noting that fleet reduction was a short-term measure, he said the medium-term plan was for Air Malta to grow.