The Nationalist Party on Wednesday expressed serious concern over the continued failure of KM Malta Airlines to publish its audited financial statements, despite having already been granted an extension by the authorities to do so.

More than two years after the airline was established and over a year since it commenced operations, taxpayers remain in the dark about the company's financial performance, despite having financed a restructuring exercise that has reportedly cost hundreds of millions of euro, the PN said in a statement.

Finance Minister Clyde Caruana has regularly boasted that KM Malta Airlines is more efficient and financially sustainable than its predecessor. If this is indeed the case, there should be no hesitation in publishing the accounts and allowing the public to assess the facts for themselves.

Instead, what we are witnessing is yet another example of a government that appears increasingly uncomfortable with transparency and accountability, the PN said.

This latest delay, the party added, comes shortly after the government postponed the publication of important data relating to the country's public finances, citing the electoral process as justification. Such explanations only reinforce concerns that inconvenient information is being withheld whenever it suits the government politically.

The public has a right to know whether KM Malta Airlines is operating according to the business plans repeatedly cited the Prime Minister and the Minister for Finance. Taxpayers also deserve to know the true financial impact of the transition from Air Malta and whether public funds are delivering the results that were promised.

The PN called on the Government and KM Malta Airlines to immediately publish the audited financial statements and provide a full and transparent account of the airline's financial position.