The press statement issued by Alitalia Chairman and communicated through ANSA the national Italian press agency yesterday afternoon came as a great surprise especially given the sensitivity of the matter, the Malta Hotels and Restaurants Association said today.
ANSA yesterday reported Luca Cordero di Montezemolo saying that if Alitali's deal on Air Malta goes through, "it is a zero risk operation, maybe even minus zero. It is an investment of not even one euro for Alitalia but which can provide interesting connections to Sicily." When introducing the talks with Alitalia, Tourism Minister said any future deal will give the national carrier better connectivity with the rest of the world.
In a statement today, MHRA said it has to date been very prudent in addressing the Air Malta restructuring initiatives that Government has been spearheading. MHRA has however repeatedly stated that Air Malta performs a critical role in the success formula of the tourism sector and the Maltese economy as a whole.
MHRA said that the statement issued yesterday by Alitalia is not only concerning but also prejudices the value of the Memorandum of Understanding recently signed with the Maltese Government. At this stage MHRA questions which process was adopted by Government that led to choosing Alitalia as the preferred potential strategic partner for Airmalta over other airlines or solutions presented and reviewed.
MHRA stressed that what is at stake is nothing short of the most important conduit for our economy. Any mistakes on the matter of Air Malta will definitely have serious and irreparable consequences on the economy. Allegedly giving away Air Malta through a strategic alliance to a foreign company which itself is facing financial challenges for "zero euro" as confirmed yesterday by Alitalia president yesterday raises serious doubts on the viability of the deal that may lead to the strategic partnership with Air Malta. Consequently MHRA called upon the Minister of Tourism Dr Edward Zammit Lewis to take note of such remarks as reported yesterday in the Italian media.
"MHRA reiterates that we cannot make mistakes with Air Malta. Malta would suffer enormously without AirMalta," MHRA said.
In another statement, the Nationalist Party said it expected the government to explain whether it is true that Alitalia will not make any investment to buy almost haf the shares of Air Malta. The PN said the national carrier has a strategic value for Malta and such comments made by a prospective investor do not bode well.
The PN respected the confidentiality asked for by the government but now that Alitalia has spoken up about commercial arrangements the government should go public with what was discussed.
In reaction, the Minister for Tourism, Edward Zammit Lewis confirmed that the MOU between the Government and Alitalia will be published on 25 May, or after the time when the confidentiality period between the two parties expires. This was said in a statement earlier today.
The Minister added that this is only the first step, echoing Alitalia Chairman Mr Luca Cordero di Montezemolo regarding the process of diligence expected to be taken in June or July. At this stage, if the decision to proceed is taken, the business plan shall be prepared and evaluated from both sides. As was already mentioned in the announcement of the MOU, according to Dr Zammit Lewis, the government is committed to communicating the established aims and that will happen once discussions reach their final stage.
The Minister concluded by appealing to the PN to be responsible regarding Air Malta, so that even though they were protagonists to bringing it to the brink of bankruptcy, this is the opportune moment to make amends and join the government in bringing about a turnaround for the national airline.