Is the privatization of Air Malta on the cards? Seemingly so! Recent media reports said that Malta’s Tourism Minister Karmenu Vella is refusing to rule out the possibility of Air Malta’s privatization in the future. Air Malta is presently undergoing a restructuring process. According to media reports, Vella insisted that it was too early to assess the success of Air Malta’s ongoing restructuring process.

Earlier, there had been rumors that China’s national carrier Air China was making serious efforts to acquire a stake in Air Malta. The issue of Air Malta’s privatization was debated in the country’s parliament recently. Robert Arrigo, the Opposition’s tourism spokesman, was seen questioning whether the rumors that Air China was seeking to acquire a stake in Malta’s national carrier Air Malta was at all true.

Tonio Fenech, former Finance Minister of Malta, however defended the restructuring process he had initiated during his tenure. He said that even the present government had appointed the Air Malta board, which stated that the restructuring process of the national airline was very much on track and was successfully gaining pace. He however said that if there had been rumors about Air China seeking a stake in the airline then the predecessor government should not be held responsible for any trouble that Air Malta might have been facing.