Airmalta has taken the decision to make a number of pilots redundant after ALPA demands a €73 million retirement buyout.
Airmalta conducted numerous lengthy meetings with the Pilots’ union in order to safeguard its ongoing sustainability and viability.
But after the pilot’s union insisted on an early retirement buyout of €73 million, which is an average of €700,000 for every pilot, the airline was left with no other choice but to proceed with the redundancies of 69 of its pilots.
Economy Minister Silvio Schembri said that ALPA’s actions attempted to place a stranglehold on Airmalta’s existence by making unreasonable demands at a sensitive moment when the airline’s operations and revenue have been severely compromised due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The Minister regrets the stance taken by ALPA to the detriment of its members, forcing the airline to take this undesired but unavoidable decision.
The Government recognises and thanks the other unions representing the remainder of Airmalta’s employees, for accepting the necessary changes to the collective agreements, required to safeguard their employment and the airline.
The Government will remain committed to support the company’s and its employees’ efforts to remain sustainable.
AirMalta will continue to operate and remains committed to ensure sufficient connectivity for the tourism industry to its core routes, and its sustainability to the benefit of its workforce and the Maltese economy.
