Urgent Appeal Regarding Flight Training Restrictions

I am a student and the petition address an issue which I have to endure. The restrictions imposed by the closure of the runway has greatly affected my ability to fly and continue my training. The restrictions impose additional costs (thousands of euro) to a course which already costs approximately €100,000. As a consequence of the restrictions, student pilots are only allowed to fly navigation flights which means crossing a stretch of approximately 50 NM of Water. Even though the aircraft are properly maintained, a failure over the channel is a death sentence.

As Chairperson of AOPA Malta, I strongly object to discriminatory treatment of GA by MIA. TM-CAD must take a stand against this .

Former student pilot and currently a F/O on an Airbus that can completely understand the students pain since I've experienced countless disruptions in my training, but none like this.

MIA and Malta Air Traffic Services is not doing good on imposing restrictions without any consultation. they are harming the aviation industry and the economy in general in Malta. MIA and MATS should know that with their actions, they are causing huge problems to students and the economy as a whole. The Prime Minister of Malta and the cabinet should intervene and should not allow such entities to impose such restrictions in malta since they are causing huge problems to Malta as a whole. Certain personnel at MIA and MATS should think well before they act. Such restrictions does not make any sense and Malta and the Pilot community deserve much better. I hope common sense will prevail by everyone. Thanks and Regards.

My son is a student and as a family we are already doing lots of sacrifices to pay this course which is not subsidised like all other courses. It is time that this course needs to be recognised like all others.

As a private pilot this affects me as I need to spend thousands of euro extra to do my hour build up in order to continue with my training.

It is very frustrating for student pilots like myself who have to fly all the way to Sicily to on go our flight training. Apart from it being a nuisance to fly around an hour to get there to put in some practice, it is also very costly as we pay the hourly rate for aircraft. That means one must pay an hour to get there and hour to come back apart from the time it takes to practice some landings and airwork. We all know how expensive pilot training is, and this has demotivated a lot of students in continuing their pursuit in achieving a career as a pilot.

I have a friend that is taking the pilot course and it's upsetting seeing him have to take this extra cost for no reason

As a mature student enrolled on a 0 to Airline Programme and having just started flying, I have been directly impacted by both these decisions. There was no effective stakeholder consultation done in advance, and resurfacing works are taking far too long considering the impact. Students are time barred by EASA on completion times and fully dependent on local airport operations. I have both time and loan commitments including associated life insurnace policy at great expense. General Aviation forms part of one of the framework pillars for aviation in Malta that the Government of Malta has proposed under its Civil Aviation National Policy

My Training and career progression is being directly impacted due to these restrictions

I have my PPL and this affects me directly

Student Pilots are very neglected, being one of the only group of students to get barely any financial benefits and no stipend for their education, the least that could be done is ensure that pilot training can be done efficiently and in the least costly way possible.

(Processed)

Was studying with EPA. Moved from the UK back to Malta to do get my EASA PPL and eventually ATPL as part of my Air Transport university course in the UK, got the bad news the school would have to close/things would get really hard and unaffordable the day before my pre-solo test which was great on my heart and my mental health… had to move back and change courses completely after 2 years of work on the university course, and also many hours and thousands spent on a PPL cruelly snatched away. I regret to say that I wish I did the PPL in the UK instead. There are faults, but for the most part they appear to have evolved past a ‘Stone Age’ mentality…

As a student ,the airport restrictions have reduced the number of training slots available. This limits my ability to gain the necessary flight hours and experience required. The extended period translates into increased financial burden especially for me as an international student,I have to bear additional costs for accommodation, transportation, and living expenses.In addition this extended time can add complications for the renewal of permits, should authorites choose to add further stipulations on the case. All these factors create unneccessary stress to students,For a career that is already challenging,I hope this petition can serve as a wake up call to remind the necessary parties that we are the next generation of pilots and we deserve to be heard.

Cause it will help the Student Pilots

A close friend would be adversely affected if this petition was not successful.

I was once a student pilot and I know how expensive the cost of training is already in normal times.

With the current situation, students are being forced to minimise their training slots. This will lead to a longer block time and extra costs. I agree not using the current runway setup for circuits but apart from that I believe we are overdoing the restrictions.

Close friend of mine is a student pilot and it is affecting him directly

This situation is affecting students and GA pilots with their required training.

Everyone knows the high burden that every pilot has to endure in order to become a pilot.

In such critical phases of training halting and restricting flight training will result in more hours required in order to become proficient again. More hours will lead to more money being spent.

In addition to this local and international students who were seeking to proceed with pilot training in Malta are choosing other countries. This situation will definitely leave a negative impact for some time.

Pilots need first hand experience to ensure they receive the best training like every other course learned: medicine, physiotherapy, beauty, sports, education, psychology. No one can learn and perfect their craft on theory alone

I am a student pilot and this will significantly interfere with my other studies as well as piloting, since we dont have a flexible flying schedule anymore. There are alsk going to be significant extra costs to our flight training.

I am a student of EPA

Support others

When I travel I want competent pilots to carry me.

Stop this !@#$!!

It is not right to treat flying schools and pilots in such a manner. The financial hardship and worry being imposed on these young students is a right shame

I fear as a country we take the little things for granted including the flight of light aircrafts. When in reality it is the first step to any fruitful career or past time in the aviation industry. Less flying means less experience, it is what enables us to remain proficient and current to fly.

Having only one airport in this country is a direct monopoly. Students in training are the pilots of tomorrow and they have a right to learn as much as any other student.

Because you cannot ruin a student’s life out of lack of agreement