Reference is made to the article entitled ‘Commission questions Air Malta deal on slots’ (March 26).

The article misleadingly quotes Tourism Minister Konrad Mizzi as saying that (the sale of the slots) “…was a way of both protecting Air Malta and giving it the necessary capital to grow”. It is to be clarified that the minister never made that statement and was not even present at the Sunday event referred to in the article and, therefore, the statement is completely deceptive.

Any queries made by the European Commission services on the sale of these Air Malta slots to Malta Air Travel Ltd have been duly answered by the Maltese authorities who have also provided all requested documentation. This is a normal question-and-answer iterative process between the Maltese authorities and the Commission services on transactions or projects of such magnitude that involve government assets.

The government’s main objective is of ensuring that these slots remain under its sole control at all times, given their significant commercial and financial value.

As already publicly stated, the value of Air Malta’s Heathrow and Gatwick airport slots has been determined by an independent international expert’s valuation and the price for the transfer of these slots to MATL has been set in the light of this valuation and, thus, corresponds to market rates. In turn, the rent that MATL will apply to Air Malta for the lease-back of these slots is set on market rates and, on this basis, the government has no reason to consider that the slots transaction concerned gives rise to any form of State aid.

The government remains committed to ensuring that Air Malta continues to consolidate its financial position, that it continues to grow and to truly establish itself as the main airline of the Mediterranean.

Editorial note: The article in question did not say the minister was speaking at the same occasion when Air Malta chairman Charles Mangion made his comments on which the item was based. It reported that “Tourism Minister Konrad Mizzi has said it was a way of both protecting Air Malta and giving it the necessary capital to grow”. He had made those comments in an interview with One News. Those comments were also reported by Lovin Malta.