I would be impressed by this woman’s time management skills and hustle, if her actions weren’t so reckless…
The pilot is said to have worked for Virgin Atlantic & KM Malta Airlines
Airline pilots have many responsibilities, given the number of lives in their hands. This is why aviation is so highly regulated, to ensure that pilots only fly so many hours and have a minimal amount of rest between trips.
Well, The Shift reports on an “entrepreneurial” pilot who seemed to find a way to work for two airlines at once, without the other airline knowing about it. Specifically, the pilot is said to have worked for KM Malta Airlines and Virgin Atlantic at the same time (with the former being Malta’s new state airline, replacing Air Malta).
The woman was said to have flown as a first officer for both airlines since at least December 2023, until she was caught in May 2024. She was caught “accidentally” flying for Virgin Atlantic while also being a pilot for KM Malta Airlines. So, instead of observing the required minimum rest periods, the Malta-based pilot would fly to London on her days off and work trips for Virgin Atlantic.
Virgin Atlantic reportedly fired the pilot on the spot when the company discovered what he was doing. Meanwhile KM Malta Airlines initially suspended her, only to reinstate her a short time later, so she is still flying the airline. Many pilots at KM Malta Airlines are said to be angry that she has not been terminated, given the clear breach of safety guidelines.
To be clear, pilots have a maximum number of hours they can work for good reason, and pilots should not work for two airlines, as there is no way to safely manage time off in such a situation.
I wonder how the pilot managed her schedule
The part of this story that amazes me the most is how this pilot managed to manage her schedule with each airline so that there were no conflicting flights on her schedules.
Apparently she wasn’t too old with both airlines, as this can only go on for so long. Typically, when you’re new to an airline, you don’t have a lot of control over your schedule and can’t easily choose all of your days off.
So I find it a miracle that she could plan her flight several months out so there would be no overlap. Did she just trade a lot of rides with other pilots, or how exactly did that work?
I also can’t help but wonder if she was planning to stick around this long (which seems completely unrealistic), or if she was considering moving from one airline to another, but was waiting for something before leaving on one of airlines. ?
Keep in mind that there have been some big changes to Malta’s national carrier recently, as Air Malta was replaced by KM Malta Airlines. Perhaps she applied to work at Virgin Atlantic when she was unsure about the future of Malta’s national airline? But then when the airline started operations, maybe it had second thoughts?
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Most pilots take their jobs very seriously. There will always be a few bad apples, although in the case of one European pilot, she chose to break the rules in an unusual way. She held jobs at both KM Malta Airlines and Virgin Atlantic at the same time, in breach of leave rules.
It should not jeopardize the safety of passengers in this way, given the risks of fatigue. However, the way she managed her schedule is quite impressive, and I’m amazed that this went on for months.
What do you think of this pilot who works for two airlines?