The MHRA has expressed concern at the pace of the Air Malta restructuring process.

In a statement, the Malta Hotels and Restaurants Association said that the government had originally announced that the first draft of the restructuring plan would be finalised by December 2010.

“This would have allowed sufficient time for discussion between the various parties before approval is sought from the European Commission,” MHRA President George Micallef said.

“In accordance with EU procedures, government is committed with the Commission not only to seek approval for the restructuring plan, but also to initiate its implementation by not later than the May 16, which is just eight weeks away…

“Malta is fast running out of time. The MHRA is concerned that in spite of the fact that the consultants were afforded two additional months to complete the restructuring plan, the Ministry for Finance felt the need to send this back to the consultants to implement fundamental changes.”

The MHRA drew attention to the fact that Malta’s tourism relied to a large extent on its national airline.

He pointed out that: “Neither the MHRA, nor the Malta Tourism Authority, havs been consulted at any time, despite its strategic relevance to the issues at hand.”

The MHRA appealed to all parties concerned to work together to find solutions within the prevailing time constraints that would put back Air Malta on the road to recovery, as its strategic role in the economic and tourism development of Malta was critical.