Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1037099
PHOTO IPOSTUDIO Newspaper post YOUR FIRST READ AND CLICK OF THE DAY WWW.MALTATODAY.COM.MT 2 SUNDAY • 7 OCTOBER 2018 • ISSUE 987 • PUBLISHED EVERY WEDNESDAY AND SUNDAY Pilots fear 'plan B' airline to fight union actions SUNDAY • 7 OCTOBER 2018 • ISSUE 987 • PUBLISHED EVERY WEDNESDAY AND SUNDAY • PUBLISHED EVERY WEDNESDAY AND SUNDAY maltatoday KURT SANSONE THE Nationalist Party has managed to halt a downward trend in support that had been developing since May, the Mal- taToday survey shows. The PN registered 29% support, an increase of four points over the last survey in September. In May, the party had registered 32.1% sup- port, its highest result since Adrian Delia became leader. However, since then poll results slipped and in September the PN reached its lowest point this year at 24.8%. The latest findings show that the PN has gained ground but this does not appear to have come at the Labour Party's expense. The PL broadly retained the same level of sup- port it posted last month, at 47.3%. 2 Joseph Zammit The multi-talented actor reveals all in our Q&A INSIDE MaltaToday2 SUNDAY • 7 OCTOBER 2018 • ISSUE 987 • PUBLISHED EVERY WEDNESDAY AND SUNDAY today today • PUBLISHED EVERY WEDNESDAY AND SUNDAY today • PUBLISHED EVERY WEDNESDAY AND SUNDAY €1.95 Inside the fantastic vision for Malta's contemporary arts centre MICAS, where the Msida bastions will be turned from their former military purpose as an explosives store and fortification, into the Malta International Contemporary Arts Space, transforming a derelict space into one of the island's most exciting projects ever 2021, Malta's art odyssey MICAS starts taking shape PAGES 14-15 PN halts downward trend SUNDAY • malta SUNDAY • TEACHERS' STRIKE CALLED OFF MUT boss Marco Bonnici interviewed PGS 16-17 FREE! VIDA Magazine WITH MALTATODAY October 2018 | Issue 106 www.vida.com.mt New Season Fashion Discover Vietnam seasonal pumpkin goodies mt survey port it posted last month, at PGS 12-13 SAVIOUR BALZAN THE Air Malta pilots union AL- PA is planning to take industrial action that will start by refusing to train 20 Qatari cadets. The escalation in tension with Air Malta management stems from the suspension of a pilot, over a sarcastic comment on Facebook on a flight that was delayed by a technical problem originally identified by the un- ion. Air Malta signed an agreement to train 20 cadet pilots for Qatar Airways as part of a collabora- tion agreement between both airlines. Qatar Airways will also open a direct route to Malta in the first quarter of 2019. Tourism Minister Konrad Mizzi had said the 20 cadet pi- lots employed by Qatar Airways will be building hours on the Air Malta route network, fly- ing with experienced Maltese training captains. Pilots remain concerned about plans to create a sister company to Air Malta that will commis- sion new planes and employ non-unionised pilots. "It is an Air Malta 'plan B' that is meant to fight any crippling industrial action the union takes," one pilot told MaltaTo- day. The union is holding talks to determine what course of ac- tion it will take, after it was the Labour Party's own media arm that publicised the social media comment by identifying the pi- lot. ALPA had directed its mem- bers not to fly the 9H-AHS air- craft due to the fact that it did not possess a cockpit voice re- corder erase button. The action was suspended after Air Malta filed a prohibitory injunction against ALPA. Nonetheless a technical fault developed on the same aircraft that was at the centre of the dispute meaning it could not operate despite the court order. Air Malta suspend- ed the pilot after he refused to make a public apology.