Finance Minister will not ‘budge an inch’ on ALPA agreement for as long as he remains in office

Finance Minister Clyde Caruana declared on Wednesday that he will not “budge an inch” on what was signed in the standing agreement between government and Airline Pilots Association Malta (ALPA) a few years ago.

He stressed that the existing collective agreement, which he recalled expires in 2028, unless mistaken, will be respected, irrespective of how much pressure is applied by the pilots’ union as election time approaches.

PN MP Ivan Castillo asked the Minister for Finance, Clyde Caruana, whether the recruitment of direct entry captains, on indefinite contracts, by KM Malta will freeze Maltese first officers from being promoted into captains themselves, as well as if the government has a contingency plan for them if this proves to be the case.

As Air Malta transitioned into KM Malta, airline captains signed definite contracts to incorporate them into the airline’s new visage. As these contracts approach their end dates, KM Malta Airlines is eyeing experienced captains to enter its operations whilst promoting first officers into these positions.

Minister Caruana responded that the outcome of the negotiations carried out in circa 2022/23 were clear and that all parties knew what they were signing. He added that during these talks, “no-one had a pistol pointed at their heads.”

“As long as I am the Minister in charge of the national airline, I will not budge an inch. I, Clyde Caruana, will not budge an inch on what was negotiated,” he said.

ALPA Malta ran industrial directives between July and October 2025 till these measures were retired in the spirit of dialogue. In July last year, Minister Caruana did not exclude taking legal action against the union to put an end to the industrial measures introduced, shortly after they were announced.

Caruana stated that whilst his predecessors negotiated “one thing after another” after receiving side letters from the pilots’ union, he will not follow this practice – even if these side letters are sent to apply pressure in the months prior to an upcoming general election.

“We must draw a line every time an election is on the horizon, when the side letters begin coming in. If they strike, I will not be the one landing planes,” Caruana stated.

In this regard, the Finance Minister declared that he “cannot stand” the attitude that everything is done for votes and that in the future, KM Malta will recruit pilots from abroad, as it has done in the past.

PN MP Ivan Castillo warned that this situation may result in a “crisis” and that KM Malta risks ending up without first officers, especially if captains decide that they are better off flying for other airlines, instead of KM Malta.

“As long as I am Minister, I will not negotiate with children,” Minister Caruana said, “I will not repeat the mistakes of the past.”