It would well appear that Minister Konrad Mizzi has once again delivered.  This time at the offices of our national airline, Air Malta.  Having turned what was a loss of €10.8 million in 2017, this year we are informed that during it financial year, Air Malta registered a profit of Euro 1.2 million.  The airline has increased its capacity by 20% with new routes generating a Euro 12 million increase in revenue. 

Profit was also helped by better fuel prices and all aspects of the operation were closely monitored and managed.

The Tourism Minister, Konrad Mizzi, was given the task of reforming the airline and as far as the figures show, he can be given credit for much of the improved results of the airline.  Will he now start to get itchy feet and want to move on to another project where he can use his skills as a transformer of failing entities?  Because, if so, there is an ideal one just waiting for his magic touch at Zonqor Point, the land earmarked for the American University of Malta by the Jordanian developer, Sadeen.

Dr Joseph Muscat came forward with the AUM project quite early into his government's administration, to present a new image of the future of the so-called South, which would turn stone to bread.  Although quietly hesitant of the price to pay for this investment in their area, most of the party's supporters kind of held their nose and came out in favour of it.  Why would they not be all out in favour?  Well, because, to begin with, they would be losing their national pool, where families spent a lot of time in the summer, and water-polo players trained and played.  This would become the land where the new university would be built with dormitories.  Grudgingly, and not without protest from NGOs and the opposition, the plan went ahead. 

Fast forward to 2019 and we see that whilst this Zonqor Point development has been put on hold until the number of students justifies the new construction, the re-modelling of the dock at Cospicua is still undertaking controversial building of extentions to the main block, angering residents in the area. This, especially, when the number of students actually following a university course there is below a healthy threshold and shrouded in some doubt as to whether the majority of the students are currently still trying to get their English up to the level required and are in fact, still following courses in learning English.

We are told that the prospects for new registrations are optimistic and the University is operational. 

Well, sounds familiar?  Air Malta had a lot of empty seats when it started making losses.  But sooner or later the birds come home to roost and what looked like a too big to fail business becomes an albatross around the country's finances.

In this case, the core of the issue lies not so much with the financial side, having been given so much for so little to start with but rather, with the property itself.  Labour boast and say that Smart City was rescued by them.  They also say that Enemalta and BWSC was completely turned by Konrad Mizzi and Keith Schembri's amazing business skills.   In both cases, they were working with capital that had been created under the Nationalist government.  The AUM on the other hand, is Labour's project. 

So, when will they do a Konrad on it? 

In no time we can see Konrad turn to the nice scheme that Sandro Chetcuti, President of the MDA,  has recently proposed and turn over the land to them, which they will restore to its original footprint, but will trade for other locations or heights.  Zonqor is not a village core but it is might as well be because it was central to the community of Marsascala and nearby towns.  Moreover, the land is in an agricultural and coastal area that should be protected.  Local citizens can then breathe again, not having to put up with this white elephant.

Following the trade with the MDA, the next target for Mizzi will be relocate the AUM from Cospicua to the old Airmalta offices, where there is now the ITS, who will then be moving to Smart City or wherever it is they are moving to and focus on re-commercialising the dock building into a high-class shopping centre or upmarket offices with a luxury penthouse flat here and there.  And there you have it. 

Once that is done and dusted, can Mizzi then turn to Barts in Gozo and do a flip there too?