Economy Minister Silvio Schembri said that these next two weeks are a delicate time for the national airline as discussions are taking place between Air Malta and the pilots’ association, so he prefers not to divulge any information for now.

Following a press conference which saw the launch of the new Industrial Rent Subsidy 2020 scheme, The Malta Independent asked Schembri for an update on the discussions that have been taking place between Malta’s national Air Malta and ALPA about pay-cuts and lay-offs.

The Covid-19 outbreak saw a number of businesses struggling to retain their workforce. Air Malta was faced with great difficulties as airports closed and the tourism sector practically closed.

On Wednesday 8 April, Air Malta announced that it will be laying off 108 of its 134 pilots after it failed to reach an agreement with the pilots’ association and the cabin crew members' union over pay cuts necessitated by the Covid-19 crisis.

Since then, ALPA and the national airline have been going head to head on the subject, in hopes of reaching a consensual agreement. The latest proposal from ALPA was a 50% pay cut for pilots in other to avoid redundancies, however, this was not welcomes by the airline so discussions had to be extended.

Asked for an update on these discussions, Schembri said: “these are a delicate two weeks so I am not able to provide you with any information but I can promise that I will be able to give a clear picture of the situation once results come out. I would be doing a disservice if I were to speak on what is being discussed.”