The Airbus A320, leased by Air Malta to OLT Express last April, is back in Malta prematurely following the announcement that the Polish low-cost airline had suspended all chartered flights due to financial turmoil. The decision to lease this aircraft until November 2015 was taken in the wake of Air Malta’s efforts to reduce its expenditure as part of the restructuring plan. As a result, the national carrier has already started discussions with several airlines to lease this Airbus A320 as soon as possible and thus limit the financial setback caused by this unexpected announcement.
According to a statement released by Air Malta, several airlines are interested in the leasing of this aircraft. It added that Air Malta, up to now, is not owed any money by the troubled OLT Express for the aircraft lease. Regarding the outstanding bills which will be accumulating following the grounding of all flights, Air Malta said that it is covered by a $500,000 deposit which was made by the low cost airline in case of such an eventuality.
The Maltese airline had also supplied 10 of its pilots, who will now be returning to Malta, training support for cabin instructors, cabin crew initial training and an Airbus A320 pilot conversion course. Due to the fact that Air Malta currently requires 110 pilots, it will be meeting the Association of Airline Pilots (ALPA) tomorrow to discuss this issue.
The national airline expressed its hope that these discussions will be fruitful and that both sides will work together to find a solution.
The flight cancellations have meant disruptions for almost 700 Polish holidaymakers set to go on package holidays to Egypt. A notice on the website of the Polish airline announced that “As of July 31, all charter flights on international routes serviced by OLT Express Poland have been suspended.” Representatives of travel agencies were only informed by this on Tuesday morning. On the same day OLT Express spokesperson Magdalena Grzybowska was reported to say: “The lease on our planes [has been withdrawn] and we had no chance to undertake today’s flights”. Tourists who were to fly with OTL Express were provided with alternative flights, even though their holiday was somehow disrupted.
In February, OLT Express, the airline based in Gdansk and owned by the Amber Gold Group, launched a considerable domestic network, enabling non-stop travel between a number of regional cities previously unconnected by air. In April, the carrier started to operate international services as well. However, on July 26, OLT Express suspended flights on its ATR fleet.
OLT Express was founded in 2011 after strategic investor Amber Gold bought two airlines – OLT Jetair and Yes Airways. Last week OLT Express announced via its website that it is suspending all scheduled flights from last Friday until further notice. However, it maintained that all charter flights would still go ahead.