The Airline Pilots' Association and Air Malta are expected to meet again today in what is being considered as an important encounter that would hopefully further narrow the differences between the two, thus averting a possible strike.

Contacted yesterday, Alpa president James Fenech sounded positive about today's meeting.

He said the association and the Air Malta management will be meeting to discuss the way forward. They will also discuss the possibility of voluntary conciliation in order to settle the differences. He said Alpa sees no problem in going for voluntary conciliation. What it would object to would be compulsory conciliation because that would give the airline management the right to take the matter to compulsory arbitration.

The absolute majority of pilots last week gave the association the go ahead to call a strike if an agreement with Air Malta is not reached. The pilots are complaining about low salaries and poor working conditions, which they cite as the main reason why many pilots were looking for a job with other airlines.

Mr Fenech said the association will only call a strike as a last resort if other conciliatory methods failed. Alpa last heard that the management and the board of directors were examining the set of proposals it had submitted but has not heard anything else since.

When contacted, an Air Malta spokesman said today's meeting is expected to continue narrowing the gap between both parties.