By all accounts it has been an unqualified success. Which does not mean that problems there were not or that it is all a bed of roses.
But Air Malta, which today marks 35 years of flight operations, has made it through with flying colours and its contribution to the country in various aspects, not least the economic one, is, if not unique for this tiny island certainly crucial.
The national carrier was among the first big projects that Dom Mintoff conceived not long after his Labour Party had been returned to power in 1971. Few believed he would succeed and, indeed, there had been talk of "birds made of lead", the implication, of course, being that the airline would never get off the ground. It did and today, 35 years after the first flight was made on April 1, 1974, its "birds" still soar.
The airline's milestones are many and varied, all having a significant positive impact on the country's economic, social, educational and industrial spheres. It is only fair to recall the generous contribution made by Pakistan under the late Zulfikar Ali Bhutto who, incidentally, was hanged on April 4, 1979, 30 years ago almost to the day. Pakistan International Airlines' enthusiastic support at what must have certainly been a tough and rough beginning ensured that take-off and cruising would be as smooth as possible.
Air Malta faced challenges then, continued to do so along the years and is going through a testing time perhaps like never before.
When the national carrier spread its wings it did not only manage to bring more visitors to Malta and allow the Maltese to travel overseas in throngs but also encouraged businesses to more actively consider setting up shop in Malta, opened the doors for new lines of industry - Lufthansa Technik is a case in point - and offered new employment opportunities to young Maltese talented people. Most of those who, egged on by the advent of a national airline, opted for a career in the civil aviation industry have excelled and many cabin and cockpit crew now occupy senior positions not just with Air Malta but also with other air carriers in various parts of the world.
It bears recalling that even if, for some time, Air Malta seemed to be enjoying a certain degree of protection it always had and still does have to carry social burdens - including a bloated workforce - other airlines are not shackled with. The going was tough all along and, more recently, the terrorist attacks on the US on September 11, 2001 only served to exacerbate what was already a very difficult situation. But Air Malta was resilient enough to continue flying through the turbulence and start implementing tough but necessary measures.
As chairman Lawrence Zammit and CEO Joe Cappello said in an interview with Weekender, Malta still needs a long-term, secure and sustainable airline that can provide consistent, reliable air service uninterruptedly. To do that, it must per force be pro-active and innovative also because the landscape is nowadays far removed from what it was 35 years ago. It is not only technology and the way business is done in the industry that has changed but more so the modus operandi and the demands.
Maintaining a steady course is not easy but Air Malta has the experience and the necessary capabilities to move ahead. Provided all pull at the same rope, there is no reason why its "birds" should not continue to soar.