Air Malta restructuring experts not permanent employees

In a statement referring to media reports on Ray Hart and Neale Anderson, the Catalise managing partners who are filling in as chief restructuring officer and chief human resources respectively, Air Malta said it was “strengthening senior management” in a bid to be “sufficiently positioned to focus on its own restructuring.”

The airline said the task to restructure Air Malta was extremely challenging and needed senior experienced personnel to spearhead the restructuring process. This is the second time that the appointments of Hart and Anderson, owners of a consultancy firm which has already worked with the new Air Malta chief executive Peter Davies, are being justified.

The airline said Davies’ close relations with Catalise should be considered as a positive attribute. “It is not unusual that successful teams reunite.”

“Following the appointment of Peter Davies the airline decided to engage Catalise, an international company with significant experience in restructuring with whom Mr Davies has already worked successfully in the restructuring of Brussels Airlines and Caribbean Airlines,” Air Malta said.

“Neither Mr Hart nor Mr Anderson are employees of the airline but are working with the airline on an interim basis during this sensitive period and bring much needed experience to the task at hand.”

Air Malta intends to recruit full time local personnel to fill both posts. Air Malta said the job in hand is to restructure and save the company, and that Davies will be working through the newly appointed board of directors to take whatever measures are necessary to implement a change programme with the right people.

The Labour Party has raised doubts over finance minister Tonio Fenech’s late disclosure that a consultancy company is temporarily filling in Air Malta management posts.

“Now that the truth has emerged about these appointments, Air Malta employees and taxpayers should know who much Catalise will be paid, or if it is Hart and Anderson who are being paid individually,” the PL said in a statement. “This lack of transparency just worries Air Malta workers who are being asked to make sacrifices.”

Fenech has said it is important that Air Malta has the right people to manage the restructuring process, which had to start immediately and not await the EC’s final approval of the plan.