Air Malta's decision to sack 108 pilots is "deplorable" and will hinder the airline's recovery, an organisation representing over 40,000 pilots of European airlines has said. 

The European Cockpit Association sounded the warning in a letter to Prime Minister Robert Abela and Economy Minister Silvio Schembri, who is politically responsible for the national carrier.

The association noted that contrary to Air Malta’s offer of a monthly salary of €1,200 -  which according to the pilot’s union accounts to around a 90 per cent pay cut -  its competitors abroad had slashed wages by much less.

Pilots of other airlines are receiving between 55 and 90 per cent of their pay, it pointed out.

“It is deplorable that an airline which provides a strategic service to the country by ensuring its connectivity fails to protect its workforce during the crisis,” the association said.

It called on the government to ensure that pilots would receive “a fair percentage of the salary” during this crisis.

Laying off pilots was not only against the EU’s collective efforts to minimise job losses, but would also compromise the prospects for the airline’s recovery, it said.

Hiring pilots from scratch would cost time and money, as they would require training. Moreover, instructors would no longer be available because they would have been dismissed, the association said.

It also remarked that agreements dealing with the current crisis, should not be used by government or employers to undermine existing collective agreements or force changes beyond the scope and duration of the outbreak.

“Pilots are willing to carry their fair share of the burden, after ensuring that the process of meaningful consultation has been duly carried out and that all State tools available during this time of crisis are used to maintain employment before considering permanent redundancies,” the association said.

ALPA says CEO will still take home €90,000

In a statement, the pilots union (ALPA) accused senior management at Air Malta of embarking upon "an unethical, and intimidatory approach with a serious lack of effective dialogue" whilst retaining their own packages with just a 10 per cent pay cut.

According to ALPA, management justified the decision on the grounds that they were still reporting for work.

Referring to the announcement  that Air Malta’s CEO Clifford Chetcuti had taken a 70 per cent pay cut, the union pointed out that he was still left with a take-home pay in excess of €90,000. On the other hand employees were forced to accept a €1200 monthly salary without even guaranteeing them their job security.

ALPA said it would keep insisting on a fair, across the board, percentage cut.