Airline pilots to challenge MIA’s monopoly

ALPA, the union representing Air Malta pilots, has engaged a European lawyer and is looking into the possibility of challenging the Malta International Airport’s monopoly over the country’s only runway in the European court.

In comments to MaltaToday, the union’s president Dominic Azzopardi questioned the legality of the contract which grants MIA exclusivity over the airport up to a radius of five kilometres: a situation which precludes the possibility of opening a second terminal serviced by the same runway, as ALPA had controversially suggested last year.

Azzopardi argues that the exclusivity enjoyed by MIA rules out any fair competition in the aviation sector, resulting in a situation of complete monopoly which runs counter to European law.

“There cannot be a monopoly without a regulatory board. This is a very basic principle of the European Union, which demands a level playing field for all operators,” Azzopardi said.

Azzopardi confirmed his union is currently taking legal advice through its international partners, European Cockpit Association (ECA).

“That’s the direction we are currently heading,” he said when asked if ALPA planned to refer the matter to the Commission.

ALPA is also threatening industrial action which would ground all Air Malta flights for a full day on July 15, unless MIA zeroes all charges currently levied to the national carrier.

For the past year, the union has consistently been complaining about what it terms unfair charges imposed on Air Malta by MIA, which – coupled with government subsidies offered to low-cost carriers on underserved routes – render the airline unable to compete on a level laying field.

Last April, Azzopardi told this newspaper that Air Malta pays a hefty charge for every kilo of cargo loaded out of Malta, rental of airport offices, use of staff car park and even a levy for every litre of fuel uplifted out of Malta.

Azzopardi has also accused Malta International Airport of “sucking the Maltese tourism sector dry” in comments to MaltaToday, saying that through these charges ands fees the airport received more than €150 million from Air Malta.

And yet, details of the report by Ernst & Young, the international auditors tasked with drawing up a restructuring plan for Air Malta, suggest that the emphasis of the restructuring will be on cost-cutting and downsizing – without any mention of revisiting the disadvantageous contracts entered into by the government to the detriment of Air Malta.

“Is it correct that the government has given exclusivity to MIA considering no special rates are offered to its main operator? Is it correct that whilst Air Malta employs new management at substantial cost most of the old management who ran the failed company restructuring which took place in 2004 are still there?” Azzopardi said.

In an angry outburst on One TV’s Inkontri, hosted by former Tourism Minister Joe Grima, Dominic Azzopardi yesterday hinted darkly at what he described as ‘klikek’ (‘networks’) who were protected by the establishment at the expense of workers during the restructuring process.

However a spokesman for Finance Minister Tonio Fenech told this newspaper that revision of these agreements has not been ruled out in the restructuring plan.

“The report being referred to, as clarified by Air Malta yesterday, is not the final version presented to the European Commission,“ the ministry official said yesterday. “However, the Minister has already stressed that all contracts are up for review. Ultimately, Government’s objective is to see Air Malta return to viability.”

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MIA is scooping all the money it can - pilots get paid huge salaries, the average worker gets paid peanuts - big unbalanced mess. One way of solving all these problems is to vote the NP out or if Gonzi calls an early election. Air Malta - Arriva - fuel prices - all courtesy of our efficient administration.
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Joseph MELI
@ not amused- And precisely the same principal of bottom-line self-preservation as you state the MIA invokes applies to Air Malta.If Air Malta go under this would severely impact on the MIA and its massive profit margins and in this land of subsidiies none are provided by the MIA -nor ever have been whilst in the hands of these foreign-owners .
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Name one airport anywhere which doesn't have a monopoly status. As a private company, the MIA is obliged to look at it's own bottom line and once the Maltese Government sold this asset there are absolutely no legal grounds to force them to cap their tariffs. After all the same is happening to other so called vital commodities. How many strikes were carried out due to the exorbitant utility rate hikes? We have been living in the land of subsidies for too long and everybody including parastatal companies have to learn to stand on their own two feet, period.
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@mikegold -l-mentalita bazwija tal- laburisti u - nazzjonalisti- irrovinat pajjiz- ma hemmx x tara
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mikegold - tiftakar bhall lum kemm issawwatna. Jew kont ghadek bil-harqa? U dawk id-daqqiet kollha biex erba sangisugi saru miljunarji - dak kollox. Li kont nista naghmel bhall dak inhar, niehu sehem biex nipparalizza pajjiz bhall ma ghamilna dak inhar, f'isem ix-xoghol gustizzja w liberta, li sfortunatament neqsin hafna minnhom f'dan il-pajjiz u ha jkollna nerghu niggieldu ghalihom.
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@cuc-maltija, int insejt li ghal zmien twill hafna ibda mil-bdoti u l-maggoranza tal haddiema assoluta kienu kollha laburisti, mela insejt li kollha intbghatu barra min Malta b'xejn ghat tahrig. Taf x' naf nghid li it-traskuragni li tirrenja fl-Airmalta mhux tal-kbarat biss imma anke l-haddiema z-zghar ghandhom tort. Inti timmagina li l-vetturi l-makinarju jispicca imkisser f'qasir l-ghomor, u ha nghidu kif inhi dawn fuq l-apron issuqu w mhux f'xi toroq dojjoq izda jirnexxilhom jahbtu. Taf kemm intlaqtu ajruplani b' konsegwenza tal eluf ta' ewro fi spejjes u dan b' traskuragni tghid dan it-tort ta' GonziPn. Tkellem ma min jaf il-fatti. Xorta wahda ma ghandhomx jispiccaw bla xoghol ghax onesti hemm imma hafna kienu jghamlu l-arja bil-gwu
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To kmemployee. you are right to complain to ALPA regarding their signing of the collective agreement when you and other employees were left behind. But if I may ask, could'nt the GWU and UHM have done the same as ALPA and CCU did? Were they asleep? Did you employees press upon your unions like the pilots and cabin crews did? The least your unions can do now is to at least jion in their support and make one big concerted effort. Better late than ever mhux hekk?
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skuzawni l-AIRMALTA HALLSET IL 1.5MILLION- igifieri meta kien hemm l-M.O.U - dawk il flus li tajtu ta hi - ara kemm intuzaw helu - il kumpanija ssalvat! ijja AIR MALATA. Gharukaza.
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@kmemployee - U kif qallek eagleeye - missek ghamilt il licenzja int - mux 80,000EUR loan tmur fin nofs! jew inkella biex nghidu kollox- tkun wiehed min tnax il pilota li dahlu issa milux u tiehu kollox free- type rating u xi 1000+ siegha- mux tajjeb jew!! - no bond - no nothing - choices kemm trid ghandek siehbi. Ara l-gvern neffaq fuqhom 1.5Million Euros u ma kellux bzonnhom!! Heqq tkun taf in-nies trid Malta siehbi u kullimkien tasal! Inti semmejt it temporanji tal-qalba ux - heq mux l istess hi! Mela suppost last in first out imma milli jidher, qed jintqal li xi 50 ruh mhux ha jaqaw tahta din, allura ara x ghandek taghmel- jekk inti tigi min ta lahhar- heqq mur kellem il ministru! heqq ahna mhux pajjiz hekk - issa l ministru probabli minjaf x jaqla tat-200 year old whiskey - minjaf kemm hemm nies li jafu s-sigrieti tieghu allura ...x tippretendi?! Aw xi dghajsa min dawk ta l-immigranti illegali ha nitlaqa bija x imkien?! Filfla togghobni ara.
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@kmemployee ghandek ragun, imma x`nghamlu? Inhalluhom ikomplu jghaffgu u jibilghu il- miljuni u lilek u lili l-anqas ix-xoghol ma iridu ihallulna? Decizjoni iebsa biex tghamel strajk, izda wasal iz-zmien li l-unions jinghaqdu u jiehdu azzjoni ghax il-haddiem qed ikissruh u min qed imexxi forsi jigi f`sensieh u jibda imexxi l-assi tal poplu bis serjeta u mhux jintuzaw biex igawdu tal klikkek u politikament.
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Jien ma rrid niggieled ma hadd. Li ma naqbilx fic cert hu li nistrajkjaw ghax hemm vera inkunu se nisparaw ghal saqajna u fl ahhar mill ahhar il haddiema kollha ibatu
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Threatening to strike and ground the planes will only scare tourists away from Air Malta. And that is all the Airline needs at this time when losses for whatever reason are running in the millions of euros annually. Threatening to strike, even just mentioning it is enough to make visitors think that AM is an unreliable airline. I am sure that Mr. Azzoppardi does not really want that.
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@kmemployee U nista nistaqsik ghalfejn din l-ghira kollha ghall piloti? Ghax ma ilhaqtx pilota int ukoll? Min zammek? Bosta piloti hallsu il-licenzja minn buthom, u din mhux sold jew tnejn tiswa, imma eluf ta euros. U jien nistaqsik, int kemm tqatta hin id-dar tghamel xoghol ghall kumpanija minghajr ma tithallas tieghu? Taf li pilota kull sitt xhur irid jghaddi minn simulator check li irid iqatta bosta gimghat qabel jipprepara ghalieh id-dar? Ghax ma tmuxr taqbad mal gvern li bazwar il-kumpanija, mela mal piloti, hallina siehbi.
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@kmemployee Int giddieb u ser tibqa tivvinta u tghawweg il fatti. Kieku il- pagi tal bdoti ta l- AirMalta huma daqs dawk ta l-emirates mela ghalfejn skoss bdoti irrezenjaw u marru ma l-emirates u l-etihad? Kieku l-istess paga kieku jibqghu hawn! Il-paga li semmejt int ta first officer ma low cost hija il-paga ta kaptan ma l-Airmalta,nisfidak niltaqghu l-airport u nurik il-payslip tal paga tieghi. int qed thallat il-hass mal qarabali, dik il-paga li qed tikkwota tal 100, 000 probabli hija tal managment pilots, li minnhom hemm biss tlieta.
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iu apparti l-oxxenita ta l-MIA, hemm zewg oxxenitajiet ikbar jekk Domenic irid jindaga...il-HOLIDAY MALTA u l-WAG ta Cassar ta l-Awstralja. Dawn ghadhom ghaddejjin u jerdghu minn fuq l-Airmalta IKTAR mill-MIA. Hawn xi bully jindaga fuqhom u jara kemm il-miljun redghu u ghadhom jerdghu ? mhux il -150 mijun biss ta l-MIA. Meta tghodd dawn it-tnejn maghhom, naqbzu il-500 miljun. Fejn kienet tkun -Airmalta b'500 miljun f'ida!!
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jekk il-bdot u l-iskrivan irridu jzommu xogholhom ahjar jinghaqdu flimkien wara Duminku, u mhux joqodu jilletikaw b'hall-tfal zghar.
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Qed tiggieldu bejnitkom tal-Airmalta. Komplu paxxuhom.
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@eagleeye Ghall informazzjoni tieghek ta pilot ma ryanair jaqla 60k fis sena, pilot ma emirates jaqla 100k. U nafu li kaptan ma airmalta jaqla 100k fis sena. dan serq nghidlu mela l mia biss qedha tisraq? U ghal informazzjoni tieghek il haddiema kollha huma importanti, minn kaptan sa messaggier! kullhadd huwa importanti Ohra ghal informazzjoni tieghek jien skrivan ma airmalta u nahdem ukoll is sibt il hadd festi u bil lejl. u din minn fejn gibtha ta internal call ghall cabon crew. meta airmalta riedet cabin crew zejda dahlet skoss temporanji tal qalba
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Dan kollu li qed jigri hu vendikazzjoni kontra l-air Malta.L-ghasafar tac CONB dejjem taru u gabulna t turisti lejn Malta .Dan li qed jigri visa vee l-MIA hi xi haga li ma titwemminx prezzijiet bhall dawk mhux tac cajt . Qabel kemm kienet thallas fl-istess zmien l-Air Malta li hallset dawn li qed jissemmew l-150 miljun
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@Robin Huud Ghall informazzjoni tieghek il- Kaptan D Azzopardi ilu ghall din l-ahhar sena jipprova jikkonvinci lill gvern bil kelma it-tajba li hemm kuntratti li iffirmat l-airmalta li huma oxxeni ghax qed jagevolaw erbgha tal qalba u jgherrqu il-kumpanija. Kun afukoll li Domenic ilu biss president ta l-alpa ghall dawn l- ahhar sentejn. U ghalfejn qed tistaqsi fejn kienet l-ALPA meta l-affarijiet kienu sejrin hazin? U l- unions l-ohra, fejn kienu? Kun ghaf li l-Alpa ghamlet studju minn jeddha u pjan ta ristrutturar ghall AirMalta likien jghamel iktar sens minn ta E & Y u dan ghamlitu b'xejn, senza interessi, izda il- ministru ipprefera igib lill E&Y ghax skon hu il-Maltin cwiec. Din l-inizjattiva ma haditha l-ebda union. @kmemployee Il-pagi tal piloti ta l-AirMalta kwazi daqs dawk ta l-emirates?LOL. Din min fejn gibtha? First Officer ma linja low cost partikolari jaqla iktar minn Kaptan ta l-Airmalta!! Ftit ilu iltqajt ma wiehed mill kaptani yugoslavi li kien ghamel xi xhur jahdem ma l-AirMalta, dan qed jahdem ma kumpanija privata zghira gewwa it-turkija, il- paga tieghu taqbez b'elfejn ewro tal paga ta kaptan ta l-AirMalta!! TAF X'NAF UKOLL LI META L-AIRMALTA HARGET INTERNAL CALL FOR APPLICATIONS GHALL CABINCREW, HADD MA KIEN APPLIKA!! U DAN TAFU GHALFEJN, GHAX CABIN CREW BILFORS IKOLLU JAHDEM, IRID JAHDEM BIL LEJL, IL- HDUD U FIL FESTI, GIELI ANKE FIL MILIED, L- EWWEL TAS SENA U L-GHID. RAGUNI OHRA GHALIEX HADD MA KIEN JAPPLIKA HU LI FIS SAJF L- UFFICINI TA L-AIRMALTA KIENU BIN NOFS TA NHARI U KULLHADD KIEN JGHAMEL IL-PART TIME JOBS!! HADD MA ZAMMKOM MILLI TAPPLIKAW. ISSA TOQGHODUX TEQIRDU JEKK HEMM UNION LI QED TGHAMEL XOGHOL L-UNIONS L-OHRA KOLLHA.
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km employee, fejn kont inti meta l-piloti kellhom jghatu parti lill -paga fl- MOU, u fejn qieghed issa, tistahba biex l-ALPA tghamel ix-xoghol kollu hi mill-unions kollha. U min qallek li l-paga hija daqs ta l-emirates? mela qed tohlom jew? kieku l-paga daqs ta l-emirates kieku dawk il-pilots li marru ma l-emirates kienu jibqu hawn la l-istess paga kif qed thgid int. Informa ruhek sew qabel tparla zejjed. Ahjar tirringrazja lil ALPA ghax hi l-unika UNION li qed tghamel xi haga sura
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@ solidarity Profitti ghal l-investitur barrani.
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Employee got it exactly right. Where was ALPA when we had certain General Managers running away from the company at the first signs of trouble. These General Managers where given a wage increase of Euro 1100 monthly in their basic wage in May 2010 before the demise of Lawrence zammit. The same Lawrence Zammit found them also a job away from Air Malta.These GM's sucked the company dry by exorbitant expenses of millions of Euros without being checked and without drafting any contracts whatsoever. These GM's are still liable for their actions as they have squandered public money. Labour Party please note and take action in one and a half years time as otherwise we will not vote Labour again in 2018.
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Mr Azzopardi, no one will blame you if you responsibly take all the action you can to defend your interest and the interest of all Airmalta employees. Go ahead and challenge the abuses before the Commission; you shall be praised for that. But never put at risk the jobs of all the employees of Airmalta and other jobs in the tourist industry by threatening with a strike. That will be suicidal at the moment. Take the advice of a successful entrapreneur like Mr Albert Mizzi and don't mention grounding of planes again.
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Sur Azzopardi, Ghidilhom lil dawn is segwaci tieghek fejn kont int u shabek il piloti meta ghamiltu collective agreement gdid mal kumpanija u hadtu zieda ta barra minn haw meta ahna il haddiema l-ohrajn bqajna bir riha. Ghax bhal li kieku mhux ma l-istess kumpanija nahdmu. Ghidilhom ukoll li paga tieghek tlahhaq ma pilot ma l emirates ukoll jew ma tghidx kollox. Wara kollox issa ftaht halqek int ghax issemmha li ha jnaqqsu il piolti. X tippretendi li jnaqqas mill haddiema 'inferjuri' ghalikom biss?
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@ employee. If unions talk go on strike they always told them you are causing problems to the country and economy. They always told them shut up fr the interest of the jobs and your country. Now their jobs are being lost so they did their best when they shut up but now all is lost so useless keep shut up. The PN in government did one thing right made us all believe that we should accept everything for our good but now we know they only did that to do whatever they wanted to because now they are sacking workers and giving us bils we cannot afford to pay. They took pay rise and ewe have country debt to pay with no jobs. That's where the PN good managment led the country for these last 30 years.
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@ Toninu xi profitti huma? Malta ghandha biljuni dejn wara li beghna kollox nistaqsi fejn marru l-flus ta l-assi li beghna + il flus li dahhal il gvern mit taxxi kull sena + il biljuni ta dejn? Kieku tghid ghandna sptar efficjenti toroq tad deheb forsi nifhem imma xejn ma ghandu il pajjiz wara li nefaq kull ma biegh + kull ma dahhal mit taxxi + kull ma iddejjen. Pero tal efficjenza il minstri taw lilhom infushom zjieda ta 500 ewro fil gimgha. Finalment taf xi nghid mhux il polu baqa jemminhom Il PL taht Alfred sant kien qal li sab hofra u merewh il PN u regghu rebhu. Forsi xi darba jitghalem il Malti u jibda jemmen li l-PN huwa l-partit tal qaghad u d-dejn ghall pajjiz mhux ghall buthom tafux. Kelb tond ma jmutx kwadru il PN qghedin fl-istess zmienijiet tas sittinijiet laqgha tal barrani, dejn ghall pajjiz, guh ghaz zghir. Erghu emmnuhom li huma il partit tal haddiema ellezzjoni ohra.
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Hija gennata li Gzira bhal Malta giet tiddependi kompletament minn kumpaniji barranin kemm f'dak li hu kontroll ta l-ajru li minnu jiddependi it turizmu, li hija l-akbar industrija li ghandna u kemm biex ninpurtaw u nesportaw bil bahar. Litteralment tlaqna minn idejna l-aktar zewg postijiet strategici f'idejn il barranin f'isem il privatizzazjoni u l-profitti. Hasra.
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dear Domenic, all you say is correct, and I can add much more and will eventually. But don't you think that it is rather a coincidence that you found your voice only after the Sunday Times report saying that pilots will be axed ? True, you spoke here and there before , but I don't remember you threatening what you are threatening now. You and your members made sacrifices like all the rest during the MOU; as soon as it expired, you took back what you lost with interest; you together with the cabin crew, engeneers and GMs, and didn't give a shit about the other workers; and the latter, incidentally, will be the worst hit by the redundancies. Continue doing what you are doing by all means, but all these bloggers who are elevating you to sainthood so they can get at Gonzi don't know what they are talking about. I also want to get rid of Gonzipn as soon as possible but let's call a spade a spade!!
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At long last there is someone who has the balls to stand up and take some real action. Well done ALPA, go ahead, show everyone that there are still people who have Maltese blood running in their veins. Clearly, you are not "Cwiec Maltin" (Tonio Fenech please take not!).
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Dominic is fully right. But I suggest bring up all the unions together, let the others take part...let al Airmalta take part. Blocking MIA from the front...come on...all employees will want to help...andnow its the time.
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Angele Deguara
Anybody knows what was the procruement process followed for selecting Ernst Young for the Air Malta restructuring?
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Well done Dominic! A man with real balls and guts, pity you are not contesting the election, I would be the first to vote for you. I will be joining the strike and I would suggest for everyone to join as well, and show this government what a PAR IDEJN SODDI ARE.
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Mistoqsija lill Onor. Tonio Fenech Veru li impjegat ta l-Air Malta ilu misluf mieghek u mhallas mill Air Malta ghal snin twal? Veru li dan l-impjegat jixtieq issir tal post mal Gvern? Veru li l-istess impjegat minkejja li jahdem ma l-Air Malta ghandu l-ghazla li jmur jahdem flok missieru fil freeport? Dan suppost irrid jiddeciedi issa. Izda dan l-impjegat il Freee port se jghatuh aktar cans biex jahsiba biex jekk l-Air Malta toffri somma biex titlaq dan ikun jista jiehu somma ma kumpanija li qatt ma hadem mghaha.
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It would be prudent of ALPA to find or form a consortium that can file an application for a second runway, because should this application be refused, they will have more ammunition to take to Brussels and seek compensation for being denied a level playing field.
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Nahseb li wasal iz-zmien illi il-haddiem jinghaqad ghaliex bil-haddiem mifrud kollox qed jitkisser, jinsteraq u jintilef. Malta hija tal-poplu u mhux ta' dawk li jippretendu li mhumiex cwiec. Sewwa qal L-Hon Tonio Fenech "Ma jriedx xi cuc MALTI" (meta iffettillu) Maltin ma nibqawx cwiec! Jien ma nahdimx ma l-AIR MALTA imma uzajta hafna. Wahda mill aqwa linji ta' l-ajru li hawn. Ejjew naghtu is- Solidarjeta lil-haddiema Maltin hutna.
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I expect that the next PL Government to nationalize everything that belonged to the people and has been privatized without any compensation, the profits that the private sector had made since the entities were privatized be considered enough profit and to hell with what the eu may say. Anyway, the eu and the euro are on the way out and nothing the politicians can do will save them, Thank God.
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Mr Azzopardi, could it be that you (ALPA) had some private agreement? before Ernts & young came in??
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Go for it Dominic. Let's see if the eu has the guts to order the rescission of the MIA exclusivity contract which is against its own regulations.
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Good. Someone must challenge the creation of a monoply within the private sector whose only aim is profit profit profit for itself without much thought for the wider picture. Besides there is also the issue that the only runway/airport we have is in private hands now. MIA should have never been privitized....for the sake of the country.
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Joseph MELI
It has long been established by all airline management utilising MIA (even confrimed by the restructurers'-don't you just love that term for assassins-ERNST -YOUNG)- that the charges are "exorbitant" to quote just one CEO-MICHEAL CAWLEY,RYANAIR.So this begs the question why is his airline still flying to/from MIA indeed using it as a hub?Because his arline alone received massive incentives from the governement (and note not from the MIA mangement)in the form of subsidies and reduced tariffs to continue to operate from here -that;s why!All of a sudden at this late stage in proceedings the foreign MIA mangement adopt and cultivate a philanthropic stance and offers to drammatically reduce its fees and charges.Is this a magnanimous gesture by the MIA management or one borne out of intense fear that the milk extracted from the cash cow that is Air Malta is about to run dry?The MIA have had it too good and unchallenged for far too long and we also need a new broom to sweep the detritus that is the old members of the Air Malta board inexplicably still there,whose ineptitude and incompetence,along with successive goverments ,now have Air Malta standing on the edge of a precipice and bottomless abyss.
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Mr Azzopardi, Why didn't you speak out before, when there was still time to avert this crisis?
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Hekk Domnic, that's the way to go....no threats just clean action...no action that would give your enemies the excuse to hurt you and your colleagues Prosit hit them with their own weapons...
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Finally someone with balls is challenging the right of government to privatise the state entities into monopolies for friends and party cabals. The big question remains. Can the Maltese people wake up from their 20 years of slumber where this government has absolutely run away with the nation's assets and delivered them to a circle of unbridled greed and illegal gains on the backs of the Maltese people. The Maltese Mirror is shedding a reflection of the Greek tradegy.