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Malti.
The Airline Pilots’ Association (ALPA) has broken its weeks-long silence regarding the ongoing industrial dispute with KM Malta Airlines, issuing a comprehensive statement defending its members’ record and clarifying contentious issues that have dominated headlines since Newsbook Malta first reported the strike threat in July.
In a press release issued today, ALPA explained its decision to avoid media engagement during the height of the controversy. “A pilot’s job is not about sensational stories – it is about being humble, keeping calm, composed and facing challenges continuously. While media articles were coming out in July, KM Malta Airlines pilots were flying, taking care of thousands of people coming to visit our beautiful islands daily.”
The union emphasised that responding to media coverage could “potentially compromise safety, and we will never do that,” highlighting the professional priorities that guided their approach to the public dispute.
Defending the €74 million question
ALPA provided detailed context for the controversial €74 million retirement buyout figure that has sparked public debate. The union explained that in the mid-2000s, when Air Malta was “losing pilots to more lucrative positions abroad,” experienced pilots then in their thirties were offered early retirement conditions at age 55 to retain their services.
“They chose to remain loyal to Air Malta and work another 20 years with the company. This is similar to retirement conditions with other government groups,” ALPA stated, defending the arrangement as a legitimate retention strategy.
When the transition from Air Malta to KM Malta Airlines occurred, the government offered pilots a one-time deal to “terminate their Air Malta job, accept a job with KM Malta Airlines for a definite period (across 4 years like Minister Clyde Caruana said) and allow the government to buy out their retirement sum early with its value at that point in time.”
ALPA also noted that “at the end of the period, pilots with an age as low as 38 will have to decide whether to give up their job with the airline, or take the money and leave,” with most First Officers lacking this option entirely.
Core disputes and safety concerns
The union outlined the primary dispute with KM Malta Airlines management, focusing on recruitment practices that ALPA believes threaten operational safety and fairness.
“The major dispute applies to the fact that the company has suggested that they are willing to employ any experienced First Officer and upgrade them to Commander following a minimal amount of time to familiarise themselves with the Company’s operations,” ALPA explained.
The union argued this approach “will create cockpit disharmony, will not be fair on our First Officers, and will potentially lead to these same First Officers leaving the company. This is not what a sustainable KM Malta Airlines looks like.”
ALPA emphasised their constructive approach from the outset: “From day one, ALPA has always approached KM Malta Airlines management with a humble approach to achieve a safe, fair and sustainable outcome for the airline. ALPA wants KM Malta Airlines to be a success.”
Current industrial action measures
The statement clarified the scope of ongoing work-to-rule directives, describing them as “very basic (and proportionate)” measures including:
“Reporting to work on time and not reviewing any flight documentation outside of work hours as pilots usually do”“Using the whole runway in Malta (which is also to an advantage to the company because it saves engine maintenance and fuel)”“Not accepting roster changes outside of contractual obligations”
This measured approach was demonstrated on Friday evening when ALPA suspended its directives to prevent the cancellation of a Lyon flight, as reported exclusively by Newsbook Malta. Sources indicated the cancellation would have stranded hundreds of passengers and cost the airline approximately €100,000 in compensation and associated expenses.
The union’s willingness to intervene highlighted their stated priority of passenger welfare, with the “ALPA council decided to help, in the best of interest of the hundreds of passengers as well as to help the company save on extra exorbitant costs.”
ALPA used the statement to underline the calibre of its membership, noting that “most KM Malta Airlines pilots are ALPA members” including “highly experienced pilots who have served KM Malta Airlines and Air Malta for the past 35 years and are widely recognised in the industry – as Air Malta’s and KM Malta Airlines’ safety record can attest.”
The union also highlighted its representation of “young Maltese First Officers with a whole career in front of them, who have worked hard to sit in the cockpit and are the product of the Maltese education system.”
Regarding the contentious retirement buyout issue, ALPA clarified its position: “Contrary to what was implied in the media, ALPA will never dictate this, and the industrial actions listed up here have nothing to do with pilots staying on.”
However, the union stressed its broader responsibility, stating it is “obliged, not only to its pilots but to Malta as a whole, to call for good sense to prevail to make sure that there is operational continuity and to safeguard the future of the national airline through its First Officers.”
