The summer months brought more than just restructuring and uncertainty to Air Malta as the national carrier also carried 110 million passengers in just five months.
马耳他航空公司将在10月31日结束夏季航班。根据其确认的信息，该公司在6月至10月期间的座位占用率达到了空前的水平。在整个网络中，座位的使用率达到90%。
Air Malta Executive Chairman David Comey said Air Malta had been committed to providing regular and stable connections throughout the summer.
He said the philosophy they adhere to is to give customers confidence that they can travel, rather than forcing flight cancellations and leaving customers feeling powerless and with no choice.
He said that while Air Malta may face challenges at some major airports, it has one of the lowest number of flight cancellations and is doing its best to keep delays and disruption to a minimum.
Chief commercial officer Roy Kinnear outlined the company's plans to further expand its network and increase flight times over the next two years.
Kinnear said: "While we will continue to operate existing routes, we are considering adding five new destinations. This will mean an increase of approximately 20% in our weekly flight numbers to 155 flights."
Air Malta is undergoing a painful restructuring as the government seeks approval from the European Commission to support the airline.
Minister Creed Karuna announced a voluntary staff redeployment program in January, which aims to halve Air Malta's headcount and save €1 million in annual wages.
However, this process has not progressed.The government has pushed back the deadline for Air Malta's staff redeployment program to the end of the year and also introduced generous voluntary redundancy and early retirement schemes.
Meanwhile, the government is negotiating with pilots over a clause in their collective agreement.This provision requires the airline to continue paying them after they retire from active duty until pension age.The government wants to buy out the clause, which is costing airlines dearly.
Pilots were excluded from redundancy plans after Air Malta laid off 2020 pilots in the summer of 69 as negotiations with the Air Line Pilots Association broke down.The decision comes after a long standoff between airline management and pilots in the wake of the COVID-19 crisis.Airlines are facing unprecedented challenges during the pandemic, with many pilots facing severe financial hardship due to travel restrictions and canceled flights.However, airline management continues to pursue profits and even refuses to accept the social wage of 1 euros per month.These actions triggered dissatisfaction and resistance among pilots, who took a series of measures to express their dissatisfaction, including refusing to fly missions and conducting protests.These protests caused the airline management to reconsider its decision.Ultimately, airline management decided not to exclude pilots from the layoff plans and instead consider cost-cutting measures along with other affected employees.Although this decision is compromised, it demonstrates the pilots' determination and efforts on labor rights.Pilots continue to fight for better working conditions and better pay.
