Tourism Minister Edward Zammit Lewis yesterday told the Malta Independent that currently, there are no plans to downsize staff at Air Malta.

This newsroom fired a number of questions relating to the airline at the Minister, relating to recent meetings and plans for partnerships. The Minister said last week that government, as shareholder of Air Malta, is engaging in a number of discussions with different airlines to discuss future collaborations and explore potential synergies.

Asked by this newsroom yesterday, as to which airlines he was holding discussions with, aside from Turkish Airlines, the Minister said – “We Cannot disclose the names of the companies or the people we are negotiating with because of commercial sensitivity, as well as because talks have reached a delicate stage and I don’t want to hurdle the ongoing negotiation. When there is something concrete, I will publish those details which are important and are necessary for the for public knowledge”

As for the recent talks held in China, the Minister clarified that the talks were held with the private sector and not the Chinese government.

“Air Malta’s business model cannot hold. We need to change this model and are not afraid to change it”.

So what does the Minister mean by “strategic partnerships”, a phrase which he has used to describe such talks in the past.

“It can take many forms, and not just meant that another airline would partner with Air Malta.  We are evaluating all the options and the Prime Minister has already said, we will always retain the absolute control of Air Malta”. The Minister explained that such partnerships can range from equity investment to the Etihad model of acquisition of AllItalia.

Turning to the restructuring plan of Air Malta, The Minister said: “We don’t have any trouble with European Commission however we are still focussed on reaching all the objectives of restructuring, which range from divestment of certain interests which Air Malta had, to other issues with regards to cash flow. Our objective is to reach the restructuring process objectives because a lot of those are the same objectives which will help make Air Malta commercially viable”.

Air Malta had undergone a massive restructuring imposed by the EU, after government gave the airline a €52 million loan back in 2010 to save the company. The EU later approved €130 million in state aid with conditions that the airline be restructured.

Air Malta has, however, has been struggling lately. The most notable example of this could be the changeover from the inflight meal to the infamous ‘baguette’.