Updated Saturday with ALPA's reaction
An Air Malta pilot was suspended thanks to a "misleading article" and the airline's "knee-jerk" reaction, the pilots' union protested on Saturday.
ALPA was reacting to Air Malta's decision on Friday to suspend the pilot after he uploaded a post on Facebook where he purportedly expressed satisfaction that an aircraft had experienced a technical fault.
But ALPA put the contentious post into some context. It said that five months ago, the pilot in question uploaded the post on a closed pilots forum where he referred to the "irony" when an ALPA directive is followed through.
"This was an attack on a representative of the pilot work force intended only to intimidate the pilot community. The only reason why ALPA is not issuing an immediate industrial action is to not let our passengers carry the brunt of our company’s bad management decisions."
The pilot in question is a highly dedicated and professional individual who would never act irresponsibly
ALPA said the pilot in question is a highly dedicated and professional individual who would never act irresponsibly towards his passengers, fellow colleagues and the company. The whole pilot community is united in its support for this individual, it added.
On Facebook, the pilot had quipped that the aircraft had “just become my favourite aircraft” and added a laughing emoji.
A board of inquiry was appointed to investigate the post, the airline said in a statement on Friday.
Five months ago, the union had directed its members not to fly on the aircraft due to the fact that it did not possess a cockpit voice recorder erase button, however the action was suspended after Air Malta filed a warrant of a prohibitory injunction against the union.
The technical fault had developed on the same aircraft that was at the centre of the dispute meaning it could not operate despite the court order.
The airline decision comes two days after Air Malta’s scheduled flight to and from Paris had to be cancelled because of a lack of flying crew.