Air Malta, in a statement on Saturday, has said that it has made 69 pilots redundant, “because ALPA has failed to cooperate.”

The airline stated that talks with ALPA (the Airline’s pilot union) had “failed on measures to avoid redundancies in order to safeguard its ongoing sustainability and viability.”

It went on to say that, after “numerous lengthy meetings, Air Malta and the union did not reach an agreement and consequently the airline was left with no other choice but to proceed with the redundancies of 69 of its pilots.”

The airline stated, that “while the other unions representing the rest of its workforce understood the need to accept changes required to safeguard their livelihood, ALPA instead resorted to making unreasonable demands at a time when the Airline’s revenue has been severely compromised due to the current Covid-19 pandemic.”

Air Malta continued that it “regrets the stance ALPA has taken to the detriment of its members, which forced the Airline to take the undesired action with the resultant consequences to a large segment of its pilot workforce.”

The airline concluded by saying the it “remains committed to ensure the connectivity of the Islands to its major core European routes and its ongoing sustainability to the benefit of the remainder of its workforce and the Maltese economy it so supports.”

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