Air Malta to move to SkyParks by end of summer

Air Malta has announced that it will be moving its head office to the Malta International Airport's SkyParks Business Centre by the end of summer, after it 'sold' its headquarters back to the government for €66 million as part of a revenue injection for the airline's restructuring.

The airline announced that the move was part of the "much wider cultural revolution process aimed at creating a new environment and company culture in which employees can work collaboratively and more efficiently to the best of their abilities."

Air Malta will be occupying one-and-a-half floors of the building for the next five years, but the airline has also identified a site where to build its head office in the next years that will house all its employees under one roof.

Air Malta chief executive Peter Davies said the airline's restructuring, tagged at over €238 million, did not only include turning the airline back to profitability but also changing its organisational culture.

"Cultural transformation is a vital part in an organisational restructuring process and the move to SkyParks will facilitate this change and assist the airline in its rebranding and re-positioning process," Davies said.

The current Air Malta head office was built by the Royal Air Force as sleeping quarters and has been used as offices by the airline for over 33 years.

"These old buildings are no longer adequate for the airline's office needs and requirements. The SkyParks Business Centre will offer Air Malta employees an open plan environment where they can work in a brand new corporate setting that enhances productivity, teamwork and improve organisational communication," Davies said.

The sale of Air Malta's head office to government forms part of a much-needed revenue stream for the airline, which is currently undergoing an extensive restructuring process to justify the €238 million it will receive in state aid and bank finance.