Air Malta and the association representing its pilots reached an agreement on the way forward late on Thursday evening, the government said.

In a terse statement, the government said the two parties reached an accord that safeguards the interests of the government as the main shareholder of the airline, the interests of the pilots and company’s future.

The government thanked the association for its cooperation, while Tourism Minister Edward Zammit Lewis thanked President Emeritus George Abela and the airline’s chairperson Maria Micallef for their contribution in the talks.

ALPA expressed its gratitude to all those who helped reach the agreement.

The two sides had been locked in a dispute for weeks over the renewal of the collective agreement for the pilots which expired last year. The airline had resorted to the courts of law in a bid to prevent the association from ordering industrial action, with the courts ruling that the right to strike could not be suspended.

Talks had resumed in earnest following the court decision last month, leading to last night's agreement.

Contacted by The Malta Independent, ALPA president Dominic Azzopardi preferred not to comment on the outcome of the meeting.