Evarist Bartolo, MLP spokesman on tourism, said Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi could not be believed in what he was telling Air Malta employees in a letter he was sending them, assuring them that a government led by him would treat Air Malta as strategically important for the country, and would therefore not privatise it.

PN governments, Mr Bartolo said, had privatised strategic national companies, such as Sea Malta, and would do the same with Air Malta. Dr Gonzi’s promises were intended only to steal votes, not to assure the employees’ jobs. Minister Austin Gatt had treated the airline’s employees arrogantly and instead of working with them to save the airline, he considered them as enemies, made them insecure and led many of them to resign.

The Labour Party looked at the situation differently. It was the MLP which had given birth to Malta and it looked on it proudly for having created employment and helped tourism. Today, instead, the airline was being broken up.

The Labour Party wanted a strong Air Malta, to meet the challenges facing it. It would support Air Malta fully and would do everything to ensure a secure future for it, Mr Bartolo said.