Will somebody please explain what’s going on at Air Malta?

Philip Micallef: the Bermuda press reported, back in early July, his ‘unexpected’ return to Malta for ‘personal reasons’ at the end of September

Louis Giordmaina – he resigned from his position as Air Malta CEO after just nine months in the job

The Bermuda Sun reported on 4 July: “Philip Micallef, a key player in Bermuda’s comprehensive and successful de-regulation of the telecommunications industry during the past two years, is to return to Europe earlier than expected, at the end of September, for personal reasons.”

The government of Malta announced on 26 September that he had been appointed Air Malta CEO. Meanwhile, small and dissipated items in the press tell us that Louis Giordmaina, his predecessor, handed in his resignation early that same month.

So did he hand in his resignation in early September and leave without serving his notice? That’s significant. Equally, it would mean that Philip Micallef was recruited before Air Malta had Louis Giordmaina’s resignation, as the Bermuda press reported his return to Europe back in early July.

Or did Giordmaina hand in his resignation in early June, serve three months’ notice until early September, with the press only being informed when he actually left his job, rather than when he resigned from it?

I’m more inclined to think it’s the former, and that Micallef was recruited to replace Giordmaina before even Giordmaina himself knew about it.

Good grief, you can’t control the Bermuda press – just like you can’t control China’s (unless you run that country).