Rapid, unstudied decisions blamed for Air Malta's recent flight disruptions

“Rapid” and “unstudied” decisions to add more services to Air Malta’s schedule have been blamed by civil aviation industry sources for recent flight disruptions. The national carrier experienced at least four extended scheduled flight delays over the past few weeks, leaving passengers stuck at airports for long hours. The sources said on Monday the delays were the result of hasty decisions by the board of directors lately to expand the airline’s schedule without ensuring it had adequate capacity to meet the expected demand. Read: Air Malta's Sicilian nightmare: second flight delayed overnight To cope, Air Malta had to lease aircraft that left a lot to be desired even in terms of efficiency and image, they noted. “If you leave such decisions to the last minute, as is happening now, all you get is what is ‘left’ on the market, getting the oldest and most inefficient aircraft,” they continued. The Times of Malta is informed that Air Malta wet leased aircraft from a Lithuanian company that are as old as 28 and even 30 years. Apart from fuel inefficiency, ‘older’ aircraft were more prone to being grounded for long periods at other airports pending the arrival of replacement planes...