Lack of ministerial cooperation blamed for Malta airshow cancellation

The Malta Aviation Society said it hoped it would be able to organise another edition of the Malta International Airshow in 2019

The Malta Aviation Society has said it will not be organising the Malta International Airshow this year due to a lack of ministerial cooperation
The Malta Aviation Society has said it will not be organising the Malta International Airshow this year due to a lack of ministerial cooperation

The Malta International Airshow will not be organised this year after the ministry “ignored” requests made by the Malta Aviation Society, the group said on Saturday.

Writing on its Facebook wall, the MAS said that shortly after last year’s show, it had written to the Tourism Minister requesting guidance and commitment on future editions of the event.

“Notwithstanding a clear explanation of why such guidance and commitment was required urgently, coupled with another email sent to the same Minister a few days ago, there has been absolutely no reply from the Ministry,” the MAS said. “This leaves the Malta Aviation Society with no option but to abandon any preparations for the event to take place this year.”

Moreover, the society said it hoped there would be future editions of the popular airshow, adding that it would always be prepared to offer its “totally-voluntary work” towards the success of the event “subject to a commitment by the government to financially sustain the airshow after the agreed upon move to a seaside show”.

The move, said the MAS, was “triggered by the authorities” and was agreed to “subject to financial compensation due to loss of income from gate money that the airshow used to generate when it was held at the airport”.

“While the Malta Aviation Society is aware of major works at the airport, it is saddening to note that after 25 years of successfully delivering a world-class aviation event hailed by many both locally and overseas, it did not even qualify for an acknowledgement, reply or call for discussions from the Ministry responsible for both aviation as well as tourism, to which the Malta International Airshow surely contributed during the shoulder month of September over the past quarter century,” said MAS.

The show organisers added that each show required a significant amount of preparation ahead of the event, and not enough time remained for the event to be organised in a “successful manner”.