Tourism Minster Konrad Mizzi has added two new directors to the board of the national airline while refusing to explain the doubling of directors’ fees at Air Malta in just a year.

Following the last annual general meeting, Dr Mizzi, representing the government as shareholder, nominated Labour election candidate Ian Castaldi Paris and his own permanent secretary, Ronald Mizzi to the board of Air Malta.

Meanwhile, Dr Mizzi has so far failed to explain how the directors’ fees indicated in the latest set of accounts approved by the annual general meeting, have more than doubled, from €53,000 paid at the end of March 2017 to €113,000 by March 2018.

The two new directors, who have no experience in the aviation industry, join another eight on the Air Malta board, boosting its composition to 10 non- executive members.

Dr Castaldi Paris, a notary by profession and a former Nationalist Party mayor who had unsuccessfully contested a post in the PN’s pre-2013 administration, contested the last election on the Labour ticket but was not elected.

Apart from his recent directorship on Air Malta, Dr Castaldi Paris was also made chairman of Identity Malta, a government agency responsible for the issue of passports.

New appointees have no experience in the aviation industry

Ronald Mizzi, who hails from Żabbar - Dr Mizzi’s political district, was a junior civil servant until 2013. 

Soon after Labour was returned to power, Mr Mizzi was made permanent secretary at Dr Mizzi’s various ministries.

Asked last month to explain why the airline has massively increased its directors’ fees, Dr Mizzi refused to reply. Reminders sent to his spokesman remained unanswered.

Announcing the financial results for the year ending March 2018, Dr Mizzi declared an operational profit of €1.2 million, describing it as the company’s first positive results in two decades.

The airline’s results were boosted by one-time interventions, including injections from the sale of landing slots at London airports and a re-evaluation of property currently held by the airline.

In the report, the airline’s board forecasts another loss-making year in 2019 despite continued efforts to increase revenue and lower costs.

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