The Airline Pilots Association said yesterday’s issue with regard to a delayed flight is only a result of a management by crisis.

It was referring to Air Malta’s press release wherein KM560/1 from Malta to Moscow on Tuesday evening was delayed by 10 hours 30 minutes. Air Malta inexplicably found it convenient to blame this outright on pilot sickness, ALPA said.

The flight crew member originally scheduled to operate the flight has been on extended sick leave for close to a month. Thus Air Malta management cannot hide behind the excuse that this was unforeseen.

Shortly before the flight, Air Malta placed two captains on duty together, only for the crew to realise during their briefing just prior to the scheduled departure, that the weather in Moscow was such that for operational reasons, the flight could not be operated with two captains.

Consequently, ALPA reiterates that this delay is purely a result of Air Malta's crisis management, and could have been completely avoided through adequate planning.