Hoteliers and restaurant owners have told Air Malta pilots to stop making excessive demands on the airline or risk hurting Malta's broader economy.
All those who are part of Air Malta to contribute towards the survival and growth of the airline, the Malta Hotels and Restaurants Association said.
It was reacting to industrial action ordered by pilots on Sunday, delaying Air Malta flights by half an hour. The action was called off after a court upheld a request by the airline to temporarily stop the action.
Tourism Minister Konrad Mizzi has accused the pilots of making "surreal" demands that the government guarantee lucrative early retirement packages owed to pilots, even if Air Malta were to go bust.
The packages, Dr Mizzi said, allow pilots to retire aged 55 with a golden handshake worth up to €700,000.
Minister Mizzi also warned the pilots that if no agreement is reached, the government was “keeping the option open” to grow through a new government-owned airline, Malta Med Air, instead of through Air Malta.
The pilots' union hit back by accusing the government of telling "half-truths".
On Tuesday, MHRA said the aviation industry was under severe strain internationally and Air Malta was no exception.
2019 saw the demise of a number of European carriers and in this fiercely competitive industry, only the most efficient airlines with the lowest costs would survive.
Air Malta was given a lifeline by the EU with an injection of €250 million on a ‘one-time last time’ basis and was continuously fighting for its life.
It was therefore imperative that all those who were part of Air Malta contributed towards its survival and growth.
Pilots did a fine job, but so did others at Air Malta and many others across the economy, the MHRA said.
In this light, Air Malta pilots had to stop making excessive demands as this was becoming a serious threat, not only to Air Malta, but also to members of the association and the wider economy as a whole. The pension guarantee of €700,000 per pilot was unreasonable, the MHRA said.
It urged the pilots’ association, ALPA, to be part of what could be an aviation success story and help Air Malta grow.
If excessive demands continued, they might lead to Air Malta facing the same fate of many other airlines which went bankrupt, something that could be inevitable due to a wrong attitude by stakeholders.