Update 9 - Pilots' 'illness' cost Air Malta more than €500,000

The extraordinarily high level of sickness reported by pilots at Air Malta today affected more than 2,000 passengers, who experienced cancellations or flight delays of up to five hours and cost the airline in excess of €500,000, Air Malta said this evening. Saying it was working hard to minimise disruptions, the airline apologised to customers for the inconvenience caused. The extra costs, it said, include denied boarding compensation, alternative travel arrangements, refreshments, land transfers and hotel accommodation. Earlier today, Air Malta reported that 25 pilots had reported sick, half the number due to fly today. Their number had been 18 in the morning. The pilots’ absence caused the airline to cancel its flights to Benghazi, Milan and Newcastle while flights to Tel Aviv, Paris Orly, Cardiff, Budapest, Frankfurt, Catania and Vienna were delayed. The delays ranged from just over five hours in the case of the Tel Aviv flight, to two-and-a-half hours for the Cardiff flight.  It said that other flights may be affected if more pilots called in sick. The airline pilots association (ALPA) afternoon denied that this was unofficial industrial action. It in a statement at 4pm that...