Watch: No More ‘U Iva’ Attitude At Air Malta 2.0, Minister Clyde Caruana Pledges
Finance Minister Clyde Caruana didn’t mince his words when discussing the upcoming national airline that will replace Air Malta, pledging an entire culture change and tabula rasa.
“I say this with full responsibility,” Caruana started on Popolin this week.
“The mentality that Air Malta is a government department and that everything is ‘u iva’ is a bad mentality that led the airline to its current state.
The new Air Malta will employ 375 people, the same as its current workforce, but these workers shouldn’t expect their current conditions to transfer to the new airline.
“We’re not going to turn a new page, we’re going to write a whole new book,” the minister said.
“Air Malta had 1,500 employees for 8-9 planes. With 1,500 employees, they could probably make the planes fly by hand! Things can’t keep going on like this.”
Caruana said staff will be offered market conditions and will no longer be given certain juicy benefits, such as a retirement scheme that allows cabin crew and pilots to retire at 55 but keep receiving a salary until they are 65.
“These retirement schemes have been renewed since 2007 and 2008 but I’m not going to sign them. No way. I’m not so irresponsible that I will leave these bills for my successors to pay.”
Air Malta’s lean approach will also apply to its routes as it will completely focus on key European hotspots and completely abandon plans to fly to faraway destinations like New York, Toronto and Mumbai.
Are you confident with the new airline’s future?
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