Pilots accuse KM Malta Airlines of breaching aviation standards

KM Malta Airlines is being accused by its own pilots of breaching safety regulations and violating its workers’ rights while stonewalling any form of dialogue.

In a legal protest filed on Monday, the Airline Pilots Association (ALPA) accused the airline of failing to implement safety protocols and regulatory procedures required by law.

The association argued that the airline’s lax approach not only breaches aviation standards but also risks invalidating the pilots’ insurance coverage.

Despite mounting tension, ALPA says that management has refused to sit down with union representatives unless the pilots first withdraw a set of minimal directives.

ALPA pointed out that the airline still operates without a collective agreement regulating pilots’ working conditions. This leaves the workforce without formal protections governing pay, working hours, or safety obligations.

Following Air Malta’s closure and the creation of KM Malta Airlines, pilots were required to sign new contracts. Many of the airline’s most senior captains were handed fixed retirement dates, after which the airline decided it would find recruits externally instead of promoting their own.

ALPA argues this policy devastates morale and halts career progression. This effectively sidelines the pilots who built the national carrier’s reputation.

It cautioned that an exodus of trained Maltese pilots would leave KM Malta Airlines scrambling to fill cockpits with recruits who lack familiarity with the airline’s procedures, culture and local operational conditions. That, the union says, is a direct threat to safety that could erode public confidence and Malta’s reputation in the European aviation market.

The union insists it has tried to avert confrontation. ALPA offered that experienced captains be allowed to delay retirement and defer their contractual payouts, at no additional cost to the airline, until replacements gain the necessary flying hours.

Management, however, rejected the proposal, pressing ahead with plans to hire externally.

Having “exhausted all avenues of dialogue”, ALPA filed the judicial protest in the civil court, holding KM Malta Airlines fully responsible for any ensuing damages and losses.

The union is also convening an extraordinary general meeting to authorise industrial action if the matter remains unresolved.

The judicial protest is signed by laywer Chris Cilia and legal procurator Gerald Bonello.