Flying schools have joined their students in criticising airport runway restrictions which have left them unable to continue training in Malta.
The Malta School of Flying, the European Pilot Academy and Aviation South West Malta told Times of Malta their operations had been heavily impacted by the airport’s decision to bar them from operating in the country’s airspace.
The move, which has forced students to fly to Sicily for training, came after Malta International Airport (MIA) closed one of its two runways for repairs.
The works are expected to last until the end of the year and are part of a €14 million investment plan for the airport.
The closure has also left trainee pilots restricted to using the sole remaining runway only three days a week and prevented them from practising certain manoeuvres on the ground.
Restrictions come at a time of “huge demand” for pilots, with airlines scrambling to recruit new staff as the industry recovers from the damaging impacts of the pandemic
“We find the restrictions unfair. Our flight school has been investing for the last 20 years to improve the flight training standards and these restrictions make this difficult,” a spokesperson for the Malta School of Flying said. “This almost total block on training is very difficult, especially when we are competing against foreign schools,” he said.
Huge demand for pilots
Describing the school’s students as having been “hindered for months now”, the spokesperson said the restrictions had been especially felt by full-time students, who were working to tight deadlines to complete their training.
He noted the restrictions had come at a time of “huge demand” for pilots, with airlines scrambling to recruit new staff as the industry recovers from the damaging impacts of the pandemic.
“We need to be training new pilots. Airlines are chasing us for graduated students,” he said.
Flights at the airport were delayed or even diverted to Sicily after a small aircraft crashed on its main runway.
Does he agree the restrictions could be seen as justifiable when left with only one runway?
“We go to great lengths to avoid accidents and incidents; proof of this is our exceptional safety record. However, in the unlikely event [of an accident] we have a recovery plan to clear the runway within a short period of time.”
Ray Zarb, chairman of Falcon Alliance Group – which operates the European Pilot Academy – said the restrictions were “killing” the local training industry, pointing to their financial impacts.
“Our flight crew are at a standstill. Meanwhile, we have wages and hefty aircraft insurances to pay,” he said. “We also pay rents to MIA and Malta Air Traffic Services that have continued needing to be paid, making our life difficult or impossible.”
The restrictions led to complaints and uncertainty, said Zarb, adding the school had been informed about the restriction “very late in the day”.
“We had meetings at the transport ministry without any solution being reached. As soon as the runway closed, air traffic control refused to let us conduct any form of training. We could only leave Malta for an international flight and return from another international airport.
“I am afraid to state that the way things are being managed, constant interruption of pilot training is insidiously killing the training industry in Malta,” he said.
Meanwhile, Aviation South West managing director Stuart McLaird agreed that the restrictions had heavily impacted the training activities but expressed sympathy for the airport.
“These restrictions have crippled us operating out of Malta International Airport. But, at the same time, the runway needs work; it’s a ‘catch 22’ situation.”
No separate airfield for training
When asked why training schools did not operate their own airfield, the spokesperson for the Malta School of Flying said the costs were prohibitive and such an initiative would need a “huge investment.”
Operating out of Malta International Airport also has advantages, he explained, pointing to the opportunity afforded to students by gaining experience in a busy commercial environment.
McLaird agreed that the costs involved made such a move difficult and said it would require a “massive investment”.
Highlighting the advantages of operating out of MIA, he stressed that a new airfield would require its own air traffic control and maintenance facilities.
On Friday, the airport said it was constrained to impose the restrictions so it could safely carry out work on one of its runways.
The chairman of the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association Malta (AOPA) Mark De Marco said the lack of consultation before the restrictions had “singled out” students and pilots of single-engine aircraft and called the move “totally discriminatory”.
“There are many airports in Europe that have one single runway and allow flying schools to operate from them. Catania in Sicily is one example,” he said.
“The airport wants you to believe that a few light aircraft flying in Malta’s airspace will hinder the works on the runway. We ask why the airport is forcing training aircraft to go to Sicily, when they can easily fly 20 miles away from the airport to perform their flying training."
Restrictions needed due to runway works
Malta International Airport is currently operating with a single runway and said it is constrained to impose certain restrictions on private aircraft to be able to carry out these extensive works safely.
A spokesperson for the Transport Ministry said the government needed to balance the country’s overall requirements with stakeholders in the aviation and tourism sectors.
“Recent incidents, including flight diversions and delays, highlight the delicate balance required,” the spokesperson said.
Costly and inconvenient disruptions had led to a “reconsideration of general aviation traffic” at the airport, the ministry said.
“Government authorities have temporarily relaxed criteria and taken quick recovery measures to assist general aviation during this challenging period.”