Air Malta has concluded an investigation into an incident last Friday where a flight to Manchester returned to Malta after take-off as a security precaution due to discrepancies between the number of passengers and checked-in baggage.
This led to two passengers (of Chinese and British nationality) being inadvertently left at the gate. The incident caused considerable inconvenience to Air Malta's passengers and cost the airline €2,000.
The investigation, conducted by Air Malta's Head of Safety and Compliance and Chief Officer Corporate Services, found that some processes were inadequate and others were not followed.
The necessary corrective actions, both from a process perspective as well as a human resource perspective, have started today.
During the course of the investigation, the whole process (ground check-in, baggage handling, departure gate, load control, crew on board, briefing room) were thoroughly examined. Eleven Air Malta personnel on duty for this flight were interviewed and various reports from all sections concerned were reviewed.
Air Malta will be invoking disciplinary procedure against a number of employees involved in the incident while also applying the recommended corrective measures regarding its policies to prevent such incidents repeating themselves.
In line with collective agreements, Air Malta will not seek to name and shame the employees at the heart of this incident or to dismiss them from the company. Nor will it publish the investigation report because it contains sensitive security information that is not for public consumption. However, the report is being passed on to the aviation regulator and the Ministry responsible for Air Malta.
The airline commits itself to implementing the report's recommendations without hesitation, prioritising safety, security and passenger wellbeing.
"We have taken this incident extremely seriously. A thorough investigation was concluded within five days and the corrective action required will be applied immediately. We appeal to all those involved, including unions and staff, to collaborate with Air Malta on the actions being taken in everyone's interests," said Air Malta CEO Philip Micallef.