Updated at 6pm

Air Malta and pilots' union ALPA continued their war of words on Saturday, with the airline accusing the union of trying to 'cover up' demands about €700,000 retirement packages and ALPA saying Air Malta was out to undermine its public standing. 

The airline and union are currently locked in a court dispute over industrial action ALPA ordered last week, and which the airline filed an injunction to block. 

ALPA insists it ordered the action following various collective agreement breaches.

The airline, on the other hand, says pilots went on the warpath because they want assurances that an early retirement scheme which grants pilots a €700,000 golden handshake will be guaranteed, even if the company goes bust. 

In a court hearing on Friday - part of the ongoing industrial dispute between the pilots' union ALPA and Air Malta - union representatives said they had faced unfounded threats of disciplinary action, on one occasion after after being ordered “illegally” to fly to St Petersburg.

But in a statement on Saturday, Air Malta dismissed the allegations as a diversion. 

"Air Malta affirms that this is a cover up, concocted by ALPA, after it
realised the unacceptability of its demands in the form of government
guarantees," the airline said.

"The company received various communications from an ALPA official insisting on the government to agree on guaranteeing €700,000 to all pilots currently employed by Air Malta at retirement age or if the company becomes insolvent.

"This is the real issue with ALPA. The rest is only a pretext."

'Shocking' - ALPA

The union hit back later on Saturday with a statement of its own in which accused the airline's senior management of trying to aggravate matters further.

It was shocking, ALPA said, that Air Malta would try to influence public opinion and paint a distorted picture of the matter when it was still before the courts. 

"Such allegations represent yet another clear attempt at undermining the Union’s operation, as well as its standing," ALPA's executive committee said. 

Air Malta kept its reaction to that statement brief. 

"Air Malta is pleased that the union is no longer demanding guarantees for a €700,000 early retirement package for every pilot from the Government of Malta," it said.

"Thus the airline looks forward to finalise discussions with the union
which were at a very advanced stage of conclusion".