Politics are certain to play a key role in a probable fleet rationalisation programme at Air Malta, reports Reed Aerospace's online news and data service Air Transport Intelligence (ATI).
Flight Daily News' sister product, which will be formally launched tomorrow, says Malta's hopes of securing membership of the European Union could make the airline lean toward Airbus.
A senior Air Malta manager has told ATI, however, that the island nation is also anxious to avoid damaging US relations - leaving it in a quandary as it tries to draw up a fleet based on 12 aircraft.
The airline aims to cut its current four aircraft types to just one or, at most, two, in a plan due to be formulated by the end of the year.
It currently operates an 11-strong fleet of Boeing 737-200s; 737-300s; Airbus A320s; and AI(R) Avro RJ70s.
ATI says the carrier is increasingly finding that the RJ70s are too small for any of its routes and would like to have the larger RJ85.
The solution may be to swap its RJ70s for the RJ85s operated by its Italian subsidiary Air Azzura.
Source: Flight Daily News
