Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1503999
4 NEWS maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 19 JULY 2023 4 NEWS NICOLE MEILAK AIR Malta experienced a bird strike incident on one of its charter flights, KM7446, en route from Malta to Lourdes in the early hours of Tuesday. All passengers on board were safely disembarked. Following the bird strike, Air Malta's subsequent flight, KM7447 scheduled to depart from Lourdes to Malta at 01:40 local time on July 18, has been delayed. The airline's technical support team is currently conducting the necessary inspections before the aircraft can re- sume its journey to Malta. The incident has resulted in antici- pated disruptions to Air Malta's flight schedules throughout the day. The airline recently introduced additional flights between Malta and Palermo to assist passengers affected by an inci- dent at Catania Airport. As a consequence of this latest event, Air Malta expects ongoing delays and changes to its flight itineraries for the remainder of the day. Air Malta has extended its sincere apologies to all affected passengers for any inconvenience caused by this event. Bird strikes are a recognised hazard in aviation and occur when birds collide with aircraft during takeoff or land- ing. They can potentially damage vital components of the aircraft, including engines, wings, or windshields, posing a risk to the safety of the flight. In such instances, airlines are required to perform thorough inspections to en- sure the aircraft is in an airworthy con- dition before resuming operations. Air Malta faces flight disruptions following bird strike incident in Lourdes New licensing regime for builders, contractors is now in force KURT SANSONE REGULATIONS providing for the licensing of building contrac- tors are in force from today, en- suring for the first time that all operations in the construction industry are regulated. The legal notice out on Tuesday stipulates that existing contrac- tors have until 31 October 2023 to apply for a licence. They will be allowed to continue working pending the approval of their licence. Contractors applying fro m 1 November will have to wait for the provisional licence to be is- sued before they can operate. Provisional licences will be is- sued for the first year but from 1 January 2025 all contractors would have to be fully licensed as per legislation. The new rules apply to contrac- tors offering services of demoli- tion, excavation and construction and impose several obligations, including the requirement that any work done is covered by a valid insurance policy to cover any loss or damage to third parties and employees. The legal notice could be pub- lished today after the government received clearance from the Eu- ropean Commission last Friday, following what is known as a pro- portionality test. The regulations also establish a schedule of penalties for contrac- tors working without a licence, or carrying out work with a suspend- ed licence or in violation of licence conditions. The penalties also contemplate prison sentences of up to six months and administrative pen- alties that can go up to €50,000 and fines that can reach €5,000 per day. Infrastructure Minister Stefan Zrinzo Azzopardi said the reg- ulations were the first concrete attempt to introduce a licensing system in the construction sector after the 1880 law that introduced the mason's licence. "This is also the first time that excavation and demolition works will be regulated through a licens- ing regime," he said on Tuesday. "The rapid evolution in the type of buildings that have been going up over the past decade or so has cre- ated new challenges that requires a mentality shift in the sector." The new rules mean that con- tractors will have to undergo spe- cialised courses or demonstrate a track record of jobs carried out. But more importantly, the min- ister added, the licensing regime will ensure that the regulatory authorities have a list of contrac- tors thus enabling them to better enforce laws. Zrinzo Azzopardi said the en- forcement capacity of the Build- ing and Construction Authority will be beefed up to ensure con- tractors comply with the new rules. For the first time in Malta's long love affair with the construction sector, a new licensing regime for builders involved in excavation, demolition and construction is now in force