Government committed to saving Air Malta: PM

Malta's Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi stated the government is committed to saving Air Malta (Times of Malta, 18-Jul-2011). Dr Gonzi stated that while the government was unable to guarantee jobs for Air Malta employees, it could promise to do its utmost to minimise the burden on workers as the airline undergoes much-needed restructuring. "We are committed to saving Air Malta ... The only way to save it is through restructuring, which means that some jobs have to be cut," Dr Gonzi said. He said the airline's new board of directors, announced in May-2011, was specifically briefed to take decisions that made the most commercial sense. "If these decisions hurt workers in any way, the government will intervene to minimise the burden through a range of options like early retirement schemes," he added.