Air travel body cites 'poor coordination'

The International Air Transport Association said it believed the furore over flying restrictions at Malta International Airport due to the launching of petards was the result of "poor coordination".

Although air traffic control is now back to normal, the decision to close the airport for arriving aircraft at specific times because of fireworks activity has outraged many who fear a repeat.

The Department of Civil Aviation took the measure as a safety precaution after an Air Malta pilot reported a "close encounter" with a petard launched during the feast of St Philip, in Zebbug.

The DCA immediately imposed flying restrictions to avoid any danger before checking whether the field from where the petards were being launched for this weekend's feast of St Joseph were actually on the flightpath. It was later established that the fireworks did not pose any safety risks since the site was not on the flightpath.

An IATA spokesman said: "Poor coordination between aviation authorities and the airlines that rely on their services gives poor result. It is a generally accepted rule that any activity taking place at and around major airports that might impact airline operations is to be prepared, planned and discussed well in advance with all parties involved".

IATA actively promotes a collaborative process to secure safe aircraft operations and to avoid major traffic flow disruptions.

"Without a respected process, airlines cannot fulfil customer expectations for departing and arriving on time according to published time tables," the IATA said.

As letters from the incredulous public continued pouring in, MIA airfield manager Martin Dalmas said that "it was very unlikely" that such an incident would recur.

An agreement struck with the DCA following the incident now allows more flexible use of the airport's two runways and plans are also under way to have "sterile zones" that would mean that no fireworks may be let off in these zones.