Air Malta’s insurer has demanded a premium of €80,000 for each flight operated from Libya, which it declared as a “war zone”, Finance Minister Tonio Fenech said yesterday.
He said that despite these financial constraints, the national airline was living up to its commitment and operating the flights to evacuate as many people as possible as the bloody revolt against Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi unfolds.
The airline usually pays insurance on its whole fleet but, since problems broke out in Libya, the airline’s insurer declared the north African state a warzone and demanded a premium per flight.
Captain Charles Pace, who operated yesterday’s afternoon flight to and from Tripoli, said the situation at the airport yesterday was very different to the way his colleagues who operated flights on previous days described it.
“It was kind of eerie. We were practically the only plane and the apron was deserted. There was absolute calm and emptiness with very little happening,” he said.
Air Malta’s country manager in Libya Anthony Dalli, who returned from Tripoli yesterday, said there had been around 6,000 people at Tripoli Airport terminal and another 2,000 outside.
Airline officials had to run in and out of the terminal carrying a Maltese flag to attract the passengers’ attention.
Mr Fenech visited the airline’s crisis operations room yesterday, where the heads of different departments met to discuss the situation and the way things were unfolding.
He praised the team for their work and personal sacrifice, saying this was “commendable”.
However, as the crisis unfolded, the future of the airline was discussed yesterday, at a meeting of the committee set up to steer the restructuring. During the meeting, consultants Ernst and Young gave a presentation on the first draft of the restructuring plan they are proposing and which, once fine-tuned, will be presented to the European Commission for approval.
Committee members were tight-lipped on the contents of this proposed plan and more meetings are expected to be held soon.
The plan will not be made public for commercial reasons.