Pilots’ Union Denies Issuing Fuel Software Directives As KM Threatens Legal Action
The Airline Pilots’ Association (ALPA) has denied telling its members not to use KM Malta Airlines’ new fuel efficiency software, after the airline accused the union of breaching employment conditions and threatened legal action.
According to the Times of Malta, in an internal email sent Friday morning, KM Malta executive chairman David Curmi informed ALPA that the airline would be filing a formal legal dispute. The complaint centres on the use of SkyBreathe, a €250,000 software system introduced to improve fuel efficiency and ensure compliance with European Commission obligations on CO₂ reporting.
The airline is claiming that pilots have stopped using the software as a result of an “unofficial instruction” from the union. It claims the tool has effectively been sidelined due to a lack of cooperation from flight crew, including management pilots, and called on ALPA to rescind any such guidance in writing.
However, in comments to Lovin Malta, ALPA categorically denied ever issuing such a directive. The union said the matter had not been discussed internally and it had no record of any company procedures or training issued to pilots in this regard. It added that the only communication with the company about the new system was a presentation that was emailed to ALPA in May. In response, ALPA said it had asked for a formal introduction to the software and operational guidelines, but the company never replied.
Some pilots who spoke to Lovin Malta on condition of anonymity said they had never used SkyBreathe and did not even have access to it.
SkyBreathe is designed to collect flight data and generate personalised fuel efficiency insights for airlines and crew. It is widely used across the industry to reduce fuel burn and emissions, often through post-flight analytics and app-based pilot feedback tools. Its operation is not directly tied to refuelling procedures or on-the-ground boarding decisions, but rather to the input and review of flight data.
The legal dispute emerges against the backdrop of broader industrial action at KM Malta Airlines. ALPA has directed members to work strictly to contract following the breakdown of talks over pilot promotion and internal career progression. The company, meanwhile, has said the action is disproportionate and risks affecting its operational stability during the peak of the summer tourism season.
KM Malta Airlines has not yet replied to questions sent by Lovin Malta.
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