I refer to the article by Robert Arrigo (TMID, 14 August). He felt it fit to criticise Air Malta for what he alleges to be are high fares. Obviously that is his right and no one has the right to take it away from him.

Sadly enough he even has the right to commit faux pas as he did in that article.

He makes reference to an increase in airport taxes. He states that these taxes were raised by Air Malta. Surely an MP has the duty to keep himself informed as to how airport taxes are levied and that Air Malta is not responsible at all for the levying of such taxes.

He makes yet another faux pas when he makes reference to the help that Malta gives the national airline. Surely an MP has the duty to keep himself informed about the fact that Air Malta is a net contributor to Maltese society in so many ways. No other airline supports sport, culture, education, those seeking medical care abroad, to mention just a few, to the extent that Air Malta does.

On the other hand Air Malta gets no subsidy for developing new routes as low cost airlines do. This brings me to the third faux pas, where he quotes a fare that he had to pay for a flight. Surely as an MP he has the duty to keep himself informed that Air Malta starts at a distinct disadvantage when compared to low cost airlines. As a minimum they start off with a subsidy of around e50, paid for through our taxes and the taxes of other countries. This subsidy is even paid to Maltese travellers who visit other countries, who surely cannot be counted as tourists when they return to Malta. On the other hand Air Malta starts off with nothing; or even less than nothing when one counts the tickets at reduced fares that are given out.

I refer him to an article that appeared on The Sunday Times of the UK which contained a comparison between the charges levied by low cost airlines and the charges levied by British Airways. Many of the charges levied by low cost airlines are hidden and this is why they have been rapped on their knuckles by the European Commission. Air Malta is proud that it got a clean bill of health for the transparency in its charging system.

As Chairman of the Board of Directors of the national airline, I am (as I should be) aware of the areas that need improvement. I believe that we have made great strides in the last years to get rid of a number of millstones that had been left hanging round Air Malta’s neck for far too long. This was done at a great personal sacrifice of the directors, the management and the employees. So when criticising Air Malta, as should be the case whenever it does not act appropriately, one should stick to facts.

Lawrence Zammit

Chairman

Air Malta