Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/754383
2 YANNICK PACE A number of f light diversions to Catania last week were only part- ly due to bad weather, and mainly the result of bad planning by the Malta International Airport (MIA), the Malta Airline Pilots Association (ALPA) has said. Three f lights were diverted to Catania on Wednesday in addi- tion to another three which were diverted on Saturday afternoon because weather conditions were not good enough for aircraft to land without the use of landing instrumentation. The main runway's Instru- ment Landing System (ILS) was removed in the first week of No- vember and the new system was expected to be operational yes- terday. The ILS is a system that guides aircraft down to a few hundred feet above the runway from where they can perform a visual landing. A spokesperson for MIA said that the diversions on Saturday were caused by the thunder- storms affecting the aerodrome in the afternoon. This was also the explanation given by Malta Air Traffic Services CEO Ken- neth Chircop. In comments to MaltaToday however, ALPA president Domi- nic Azzopardi said that the main reason behind last week's disrup- tion was the fact that there were no landing aids on the ground to allow pilots to land without a visual of the runway. "We take extra fuel for when there are thunderstorms so that we can hold over Gozo before landing. The problem on Satur- day was that there was low cloud cover, which prevents pilots from being able to land without land- ing aids," said Azzopardi. Azzopardi was critical of MIA's decision to change the ILS now, rather than in the summer months, when good weather is virtually guaranteed. "At Heathrow changing the ILS takes one day and here we have been without it for two weeks," said Azzopardi. Azzopardi also said that he ex- pects Air Malta's management to request compensation from MIA for the costs incurred by Air Malta due to the diversions and delays. "Air Malta should not have to foot the bill for a situation that was ultimately caused by bad planning on the part of the Air- port." Another issue, he said, is the fact that only one of Malta's two runways is equipped with landing instrumentation. "We are an island that is very dependent on air transport, MIA should be investing in making sure that there are two fully op- erational runways that can be used," he said. maltatoday, WEDNESDAY, 23 NOVEMBER 2016 News 153 MINISTRY FOR THE FAMILY AND SOCIAL SOLIDARITY MINISTRY FOR FINANCE C M Y CM MY CY CMY K 153 ENG C4.pdf 1 18/11/2016 20:38 Pilots: Absence of landing system, not thunderstorms, caused flight diversions No redundancies at De La Rue after banknote printer reverses decision MIRIAM DALLI CURRENCY printer De La Rue will not be shutting down its currency printing facilities in Malta as intended, following negotiations undertaken by the company and the government. In a press conference ad- dressed by Prime Minister Jo- seph Muscat, Economy Minister Chris Cardona and De La Rue chief operating officer Rupert Middleton, the company an- nounced that it would continue with its printing operations while also investing in a centre of excellence. "The company has its workers to thank as the talented work- force was a pull factor for the company to continue its bank- note printing line," Middleton said. The Prime Minister said that following a number of internal meetings, he was "thrilled " to announce that the company has reassessed its position and will be developing its investment even further. "This means that the pro- gramme we have in place for the centre of excellence will contin- ue and there will be no need for De la Rue to shed jobs. Had the production lines been discon- tinued, over 300 workers would have been laid off," Muscat said. He added that the present head count of 440 workers is expect- ed to go up to 500 in the imme- diate future. During the press conference it was also announced that MCAST would be rolling out a new programme on printing as of next January "This is not just about creating more jobs, but better jobs," Mus- cat said. De La Rue has been working in Malta for over 40 years and last year announced that it was creating a Centre of Excellence for Identity and Security Print in Malta, as part of a global invest- ment of €33 million in equip- ment, factory upgrades and skills. The works to create the Centre of Excellence are well advanced. De La Rue will continue to print currency in Malta within the new Centre of Excellence. The company confirmed that the move was designed to provide the f lexibility to meet current and future customer require- ments. De La Rue confirmed that, as a result of the announcement and contrary to previous inten- tions, it will not be reducing its workforce and will not be offer- ing further voluntary retirement schemes. This in line with the revised need for a bigger workforce aim- ing at a total resource of around 500 people in Malta. De La Rue will not be shutting down its currency printing facilities, Prime Minister Joseph Muscat and (left) company chief operating officer Rupert Middleton said