Expat Pilots arrested Malta

[ECAM This]

The CEO of European 2000 Airlines in Malta had three of his pilots arrested yesterday for working without the necessary work permits, which the CEO claimed to be processing.

Coincidently, this occured 5 days after they were supposed to be paid their wages, and one day after they contacted a Lawyer to act on their behalf regarding the unpaid wages.

Fortunately, the Lawyer was able to have the pilots (A Canadian, An Frenchmen, and an Australian) quickly released from custody, and he is now seeking criminal charges against the owner of European 2000 Airlines and the Chief Pilot (Another Frenchman) of the company.

The criminal charges include Immigration Fraud, Deciet and Slander against both the CEO and Chief Pilot.

[B Sousa]

Sounds like a real nice guy. I think if I was this CEO, I would let someone else start my car for me in the morning.......

[josephshankes]

I know an Australian pilot based and working working in Egypt. He hasn't got a workpermit for Eygpt.

Maybe they aren't necessary these days.

[126,7]

We can probably expect a whole bunch of Aussies getting arrested in Egypt soon and having their workpermits checked.
Thanks josephshankes.

[Hostie from Hell]

Maltese law states that it is ONLY THE EMPLOYER (or sponsor) who may obtain a work permit for other nationalities.

Any individual attempting to obtain one will be told that in no uncertain terms.
I would be interested to know who the directors are, but that sort of trick is endemic amongst some less scrupulous employers in Malta.
One islander put it well " Gozo is in Europe and Malta is in Africa"

[ECAM This]

The information regarding European 2000 Airlines is public and available on the internet from the Malta Registry of Companies.

Therefore,

Directors are:

Mr. Raymand V Micallef - Maltese (CEO)
Mr. Joseph Micallef - Maltese
Dr. Kevin Dingli - Maltese
Mr. Oscar Wyatt Jr - American

This information is public, otherwise it would not be legal or ethical to publish.

European 2000 Airlines Ltd
Registered in Malta

[ARGPILOT]

does anybody knows if this news came out in an newspaper article??
if so where?

thanks

[Hostie from Hell]

well well well .... that list of directors makes VERY interesting reading .. to those who know the island scene at least!:cool:
Lets see what comes out in the wash !

[ECAM This]

http://registry.mfsa.com.mt/

[ECAM This]

What do you know about the "Island scene"? Please tell...

Thanks in advance Hostie...

[josephshankes]

126,7

No, there is only one that I know of. If you listen hard you'll probably hear him from where you are.

The truth of the matter is this. A person working in a country without a valid work permit, apart from breaking the law of that country is taking a job that a local could do. Put another way, a local does not have a job as a result. Sound fair to you??

I am sure you would be the first to winge if a foreigner, without a workpermit and paying no tax, stole a job that you thought you should have in your country.

[126,7]

What I wanted to actually say was that these forums are open to view by anyone and that the Aussie will have to legalise his stay in Egypt or pack his bags, now that someone in some or other Ministry in Cairo has read this thread!!
A person working in a country without a valid work permit, apart from breaking the law of that country is taking a job that a local could do. Put another way, a local does not have a job as a result. Sound fair to you??

Not fair at all. Most reputable companies wouldnt employ somebody if he didnt have a work permit. The risk to the company is too great and the fines imposed by the government are too high! (Maybe this is not the case in Egypt..??)

I am sure you would be the first to winge if a foreigner, without a workpermit and paying no tax, stole a job that you thought you should have in your country.

The amount the company saves on pension and medical aid contributions by hiring an Aussie without a work permit would not be suffienct in my country in the event of the responsible goverment department finding out about the case. The insurance companies would also love it if something happened to the aircraft this Aussie was flying and they would be able to pull their necks out of the sling.

[ihavearrangedit]

I know the person in question. Nasty piece of work.

The individual in question is working for a private owner. An Egyptian with lots of money. When you have plenty of money in that part of the world, you can get away with most things. Even working for them, a lot of strings can and are pulled.

Don't know about this moment in time, but when I was there years ago, it was one of the most corrupt countries on this earth. Don't think it has changed much.

[jammers]

Most would find it interesting that the Chief Pilot of AIR MALTA itself is an expat from Austria who has managed to retain his position for years by surrounding himself by 'yes men'.....his bully boy tactics have stopped the Maltese themselves from having the courage to remove this foreigner who should have been replaced long ago by a more deserving Maltese national.......your time has come Franz.....I look forward to it with glee:p ......people have had enough of your false promises and back stabbing for years now.........farewell Julius

[Hostie from Hell]

Ecam...lots, but I would prefer to refrain from further comment.

[trium16]

Still advertising for Pilots on their Web Site (http://www.e2000air.com/)

The site itself however, is real surreal, and doesn't really tell you much.

[picu]

Jammers, you obviously don't know what you're talking about. Franz is not Chief Pilot at AirMalta, he's Group Head Flight Operations.
Regarding the "bully boy tactics" you mention, how far off the mark you are. True gentlemen such as Franz are few and far between. I know because I flew for KM for almost 8 years and had to deal with Franz both on the flight deck and in the office.

Finally you "look forward" to Franz's retirement "with glee". Frankly, so do I - the man deserves a good rest after all his hard work. I wish him many a warm bowl of soup at Bidni!

I do not intend on starting a new thread on Franz so I will not reply to any more stupid comments like Jammer's. Let all people who know the man make their own judgements and let's leave it at that.

[jammers]

Hey PICU......spoken like the true Labourite that you are...titles(such as Group Head) are so important to the Maltese mentality.......I probably assume correctly you and yours having used the Maltese political system at the time under the Labour government to your advantage to secure your training position in perth (or wherever) and positioning yourself so far up FS's butt.........but thankfully it appears you are now condemned to the middle east to be persecuted by EK for your sins.......have you ever thought of an alternate career as editor and chief of l'orrizont or maybe a baggage handler like your father:ok:

[ECAM This]

The company is NOT Air Malta. It is European 2000 Airlines Ltd, run by a man named Raymond V Micallef and his clan. Air Malta is a good company, and some of my good friends work there.

European 2000 Airlines is a scam and it's CEO is on his way to prison for many, many crimes.

[Chocks Away]

"It is European 2000 Airlines Ltd"

Is that that mob operating Metros out of there?
They were advertising for crew on ClimbFL350, 4 months back.

[B Sousa]

Just to stick my nose in where it doesnt belong.

Josephshankes writes:"The truth of the matter is this. A person working in a country without a valid work permit, apart from breaking the law of that country is taking a job that a local could do. Put another way, a local does not have a job as a result. Sound fair to you??

I am sure you would be the first to winge if a foreigner, without a workpermit and paying no tax, stole a job that you thought you should have in your country."


Ok, that sounds good if your a Piano Player in the Local WhoreHouse. But I think we are talking Pilots here (sometimes Piano Players) Are you saying that Malta is overloaded with Licensed Pilots who are losing work on this matter??

My experience has been its Employers who wish to cut a few weeks of Payroll that create a mess such as this........
Tell me Im wrong...

[josephshankes]

Think the answer, is to work legally.

Get legal or get out.

[B Sousa]

Joesephshankes writes .....again "Think the answer, is to work legally.

Get legal or get out."

OK, No Problem there, but answer the question. Is Malta overloaded with Pilots....Is SOMEONE from Malta losing a job....???

If not why the big push to get PILOTS out......How about the Piano Players etc....

[max6462]

Patriots!
I think the issue here is not so much about illegal aliens !
The scam is more likely about a bunch of outrageous crooks promising positions to pilots while they pay for their own training.
About a company that does not take any care about legal administrative issues such as immigration.
A company that finally does not pay its employees or any other bill.
A company that is trying to get rid of its employees at any cost.

"hey these guys are trying to contact an attorney to get their wages, let me call immigration and inform them that they are illegal (since I didn't take care of anything)... I'll get rid of them :rolleyes: ."
Nice!
]If a patriot here thinks it is a way to develop a local solid business market (which could, one day, growing up hire local pilots, who knows), then let me tell you patriot: MAKE SURE YOU STAY HOME!
'cause we don't need you anywhere else!
Don't mix up stuff guys!

[YGHP]

I heard about this guy Raymond Micallef of European 2000. It seems it is true what I heard about being a shady character! If he used his pilots, without paying salaries and illegally and then have them arrested he should be but in prison for 10 years!
Is he going to prison??

This is not good for avaition in Malta with a cowboy like Micallef.
What does the CAA say about it??

[Treetopflyer]

Like you are saying, Micallef is not good for aviation in Malta -- or anywhere else for that matter. He has screwed many pilots before, using the same drill, making false promesses, then not paying his people, and he has only gotten away with it because he was Maltese and the pilots were foreigners... Let's face it, guys: are a handful of foreign pilots fooled by Micallef going to stay in Malta, with no salary and no place to stay, trying to fight some sort of legal battle against a local? How influencial is he in Malta anyway? Does he have any solid political support on the island? Maybe it is plainly impossible to send him to jail...:mad: Behaviors like this are making Malta look more like some shady and outlaw African state rather than the European country it is claiming to be... And it is extremely unfortunate as life on the island is great and most of the Maltese are actually very friendly and reasonnable persons.

As for the Maltese CAA/DCA & local JAA representatives, they are well aware that the man is a fool absolutely unable to operate an airline. Maybe that is why he has been denied the JAR AOC that he has been applying for for over a year... Maybe that is why he has had to operate under two different FAR135 umbrella-AOCs in less than a year... And maybe that is why he has lost both of them... Anyway, I just hope the guy leaves the aviation business and starts on another venture, say a bakery or a fashion shop for example... Even though I will certainly not eat the bread he makes!!!:E

[YGHP]

How is he operating a PART 135 from Malta. I thought Malta was a JAA state.
Is he also breaking the law operating commercial flights without JAR-OPS. Strange scene this!!

How is there US/FAA connection then. Does the FAA know this?

Something smells.......

[ECAM This]

Sadly, Ray Micallef has also fooled Berry Aviation of San Marcos Texes. Berry Aviation is the FAR135 certificate holder, and is a good company. Hopefully - now that they are aware of Ray Micallefs character - they will cease business dealings with this criminal Micallef, since if they continue, they will surely be named as accomplises in his web of deciet and fraud.

Treetopflyer is right, he is a crook who seems to have all the wrong connections in Malta.

Fly safe everyone...

[Treetopflyer]

The way he does it is by using a FAR135 certificate holder as an umbrella for his own operations. He strikes a deal with a 135 AOC holder (as he is unable to get one himself), pays them money, and has his airplanes put on the AOC's fleet list. So, really, European 2000 is an American charter operator based in Malta.

This is actually a perfectly legal manner of operating, the only problem is that Micallef has abused it because he has lured serious professionals holding a 135 certificate into his obscure dealings. And he can actually get away with it because it is really hard to check what is actually going on in Malta when you are in Texas...

The last two FAR135 AOC holders who where allowing Micallef to operate commercially -- namely Hangar 10 and Berry Aviation of Texas -- have both pulled out after a few months, after they figured out what kind of man he was...:yuk:

But, as Micallef puts it: "My pilots can leave, my partners can leave, I will find new ones and start everything over again!" Guys, watch out for that attractive job add for Metro pilots that is going to appear soon on Climbto350 or the like!!!:eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek:

[Lu Zuckerman]

I shot my mouth off about the attitudes of unnamed management at Agusta and now I am being sued and Danny has been requested to remove my posts regarding that subject from PPRuNe

DON'T TAKE THAT CHANCE!!!!

:{ :mad: :mad:

[josephshankes]

B Sousa

Let me try again.

I don't know if there is a shortage or surplus of pilots in Malta. I would not have thought there was a shortage, considering the worldwide aviation recession. As far as I am concerned this is irrelevant.

However, shortage or no shortage does not give any person the right to undertake employment outside the law.

Ignorance of the law, by the way is no excuse.

Take the example of an employee who is prepared to work in a country without a work permit, when one is required. That person is not only breaking the law but leaving themselves open to blackmailers and vindictive employers, not to mention ppruners.

[B Sousa]

Joseph Shankes writes: "Let me try again."

Save your breath, your missing my point. I understand the law, and I understand Fly by Night Operations. This thread indicates to me a Fly by Night Operation. When Employers dont pay folks and then call Immigration to get rid of them is certainly scraping the bottom of the barrell. Someone else brought it up, I didnt. Unfortunately there are a lot of Pilots who need work and risk a few things(work permits) for a few dollars.
You seem to be analy concerned with work permits where the real issue (given the Pilots know what they are in for) is Shady Operations....
You mentioned about taking a job away from someone in Malta and I dont think that is the case.
Enough of this dribble.....Ive no plans to fly in Malta anyway....I have made the mistake of flying in Africa before getting paid.......shame on me. From now on Sucka, show me da Money.....

[YGHP]

After what has been said about European 2000 and this Micalleff cowboy I doubt any local pilot would want to work for this outfit. Come on guys that is why he lures in unsuspecting expat pilots with fancy promises. Malta is a small island community.

Be careful of this shady 'airline' (scam). Do his American partners know all what is happening with presumably their MONEY and reputation.

Sounds like a professional conman/scammer. Look forward to see this guys face on CNN

The smell is getting stronger.....

[ECAM This]

i think pauljeeves has nailed it! many of the current EU members have reservations regarding these smaller counties joining the union. i would be most certain that the good folks in belgium will be most interested in hearing of this matter and the manner it is being dealt with by the malta authorities.

best of luck pauljeeves, and the other fellows involved, and all of you be carefull.

[B Sousa]

I think Paul Jeeves said it all......and pretty much verified our suspicions.
Names of some of the company who are from the states??

[ECAM This]

I seems that Mr. Reveillac - who coincidently claims to be a former french air force jaguar fighter pilot - may also be a victom of the boss - Micallef - who he so faithfully stands by (a lot like the dog that he is).

[B Sousa]

Lots of things out there are Public information and not illegal to post. Some are just not necessary. Folks in here seem interested so here are some Pearls from the Internet.
Many of the names mentioned here are out there on the web. Best search engine is www.copernic.com and download the Basic free one....It is amazing
If someone is interested it appears the Chief Pilot holds a U.S. ATP. If you want further go to: www.landings.com > databases> licenses.
One of the Directors named , Mr Oscar Wyatt Jr is well known in the states,and it appears from news articles, he has mucho dollars..(he is described as a Tycoon in one article)
Mr Raymond Micallef is also out there on the web and, by his own statements, it appears he was Born in Malta and moved to Texas in 1979. You can find more if you want it.
Someone mentioned the name of Joseph Micallef as a Director. If that person is the same as Joseph R. Micallef, it would appear he is also employed by the Malteese Government.....Theres a big DUH.......not confirmed and of little importance, but again public information.
Dr Dingli appears to be a Malteese Businessman and member of the Chamber of Advocates in Malta
So bottom line Boys and Girls, the "Three Amigos" are barking up a tree in Malta with lots of Bucks and lots of Branches.... Looking at it scientifically, We may have a person with Lots of money, another in the Government, and a well connected Attorney; all in a small country. If I were a Pilot, I think I might just gather my toys and look for a job in another part of the world.... Lesson learned.
Again this is all Public Information, anyone of you can find it if you get bored. I just left out things that some may use to cause problems. I am not into that.
P.S. Im betting they are all watching this very close.

[ECAM This]

rumour has it that an attempt was made on the life of one of these pilots. (possibly the canadian, but not certain). he is reported safe and is being proected by the authorities.

willpost more news as it developes

[Hostie from Hell]

Strange thing, what with Malta being JAA, is the fascination held by the Maltese for the FAA system.
Time was when an aspiring candidate for Air Malta could nip over to the states do a CPL and have the DCA rubber stamp the licence.
This outfit appears to have gone one better and simply imported the FAA system along with the aircraft.

I am presuming of course that the R.Micallef is the same individual
who was talking about setting up an oil support operation in the early1990s using Metro equipment ?

If so, his background was FAA PPL (possibly upgraded now to something grander) and was employee of the oil support company Medserv.

This business with the work permit :

Malta is a tiny nation state and really does need the permit system to avoid a catastrophe for the local economy, and it is vigorously enforced with arrest being followed by deportation for the illegal employee, and a hefty fine for the employer.

Seems that the game being played here is one of brinkmanship with the system, and having seen these types of employers operating on the islands in the past, I sincerely hope that the Maltese government makes an example of these people.

Interesting to note that it has'nt made the local press yet
www.timesofmalta.com[ although I have reason to believe they are aware of the discussion on this website :cool:

The history of oil support operations in Malta is not exactly untarnished.

There was an excellent and well run charter operation that ended up in the hands of a less than scrupulous operator.

His interpretation of aviation law was that it was OK to fly fare paying passengers, in a single engined aircraft, out over the Med to Tunisia on a very regular basis.

One night his luck ran out, and he took 5 innocent lives with him.
Stories abounded of Air Malta aircraft sat on the ground due to appalling weather, and our hero emerging from the swirling cloudbase claiming another brave deed.

Why the Department of Civil Aviation allowed this operation to continue is not entirely clear
:mad: :mad: :yuk:

[YGHP]

This is getting more serious if an attempt has been made on the life of one of the pilots.

This requires immediate notification of this company and CEO, Micalleff to all proper local and international authorities.

Have notices been sent to the FAA, the Maltese civil avaition authorities, the american co-directors, the Malta media, the international media, the local police and the JAA headquaters to explain the behaviour of this man to his employees and buisness dealings. I am sure this is probably the tip of the iceburg!

Has action benn taken to stop this cowboy in Malta? :confused:

[Freccia]

Please give us more info on the attempt on the pilot ECAM. I understand that they have gone after him out of the country as the Canadian has left Malta.

[ECAM This]

i am recieving this information second hand, but as i understand the canadian is still in malta ( 1 or 2 days old information). also i have not yet confirmed which pilot is invovled. i am awaiting more details and will share with the group as i recieve them.

[jammers]

The man to ask is Joseph Treeby-Ward, the Head of Citizenship and Expatriate Affairs.....he would have a definite line on this whole fiasco........he is available at 3 Castille Place, Valletta or
[email protected].........

[Hostie from Hell]

I doubt that you will have much success with Mr.Treeby-Ward : he has a layer of minor officials as thick as treacle between him and such enquiries. That being said, I did manage to speak with him on one occasion and he was a gentleman personified.

Trouble is that this issue looks a rather complex one from the government perspective, and not a lot will be said until it is

a) brushed under the carpet, in which case we will hear nothing

or

b) it transpires that this was not a simple matter of the
immigration rules being bent, and some foriegn nationals fleeced. If more serious crimes were committed, it will come out in the press under a very small headline.

Curious though that there is not a sniff of this in the local press.
Means it's being ignored, or taken very seriously..take your pick

[YGHP]

spoken with a friend in Malta. He has heard about this saga. Most of the local aviation community are following the story and talking about it! This site has got over 6,000 hits in 3 days!

It seems some heads are going to start rolling real soon.....Malta CAA want to locate Ray Micallef. has anybody seen him? Tell him to call the CAA in Malta immediately. I have heard the local press have also got onto the story and are actively invesigating this story. This is going to be BIG as it has embarrased a lot of people. I also heard his cheques are not being honoured by the bank. Can someone confirm this?

Has anybody got any more news about the company? The press are reading.......

Msg to Raymond V Micallef...... 'bull**** can only take you so far until it flies back in your face'

[Freccia]

Not that I want to defend anybody here but I am finding it rather strange that all this is being written. The exact and official details and implications are not yet known and I can only take all that is said with a pinch of salt. I think most of the posts here are by people who know this guy very very well and must have had some horrible experiences working or knowing the guy. I am far from trying to defend anyone but I think one should be sure before drawing conclusions and communicating to others such bad info on people if the case is personal.
From past experience I had in this country and from the many people I know there one thing is certain. It is hard to start some kind of business especially this type as one finds opposition from everywhere because only ‘THE BIG POWERFUL GUYS RULE’ and the ‘sour grapes’ attitude is endemic unfortunately. From what I can see this European 2000 is managed by some weak men who do not know the right people to succeed and surpass all opposition. This I say because if they knew the right people they would have started operations ages ago. Finally I want to say that I honestly hope that the posts are not personally oriented against a person to punish for some personal action and wish everyone keeps in mind that we are only hearing one side of the story which is not yet confirmed.

[Hostie from Hell]

Freccia, I am sure that most people take your point.. however..if you have lived there you will know that employing people without a work permit is a big NO-NO, and having them arrested because they do not happen to have the work permits that the person reporting the individuals is required to obtain is "not quite cricket old boy".

Allegedly this employer had a financial interest in having his pilots deported before he was obliged to pay them, given that this is a rumour and news board, as such postings here may pre-warn others before they pack their bags for Malta.

True, it is always hard to start a company, but there are plenty of successful and legitimate businesses on Malta, who have not used the "Family network" and are founded and run on sound ethical and financial principals.

[YGHP]

Freccia is right in a sense that we should give the guy his say.

What I wish is that this CEO, Ray Micallef, will deny the following:

1-he did not pay his pilots

2-he did not pay his engineers

3-he gave false promises

3-operated illegally from Malta

4-he did not pay the agreed expenses for re-current training on
Metro type to pilots

5-was decietful to his employees

6-issued cheques which were dishonoured by the bank

7-employed foriegn pilots without a work permit

8-had some of his pilots arrested by the local authorities

9-had a Part 135 removed from one company then moved to another and it seems also rejected.

10-unable to get a JAA licence to operate from Malta beacuse of who he is not who he knows.

11-his REPUTATION??? (No comment at this stage)

Is this normal buisness ethics for a new company. I think not.
In short his buisness ethics are a shade of grey bordering on black. I wonder what credit rating European 2000 Airlines would have (1 star minus if it exists!)

Please answer for us Freccia (understand from your profile you are a Capt on a B767 based in Italy:= )

[Loftie]

What a shame. Malta is such a lovely peaceful island.

[ECAM This]

i believe that freccia IS Mr. Ray Micallef.

received a PM from one of the arrested piots. the attemp (life) is being dealt with by the authorities and i have been asked to keep tight lipped.

should be in the news soon...

[Freccia]

ECAM..I am not Ray Micallef I assure you. As I said I do not even know this Ray Micallef and even if the Maltese aviation scene was and is of interest to me I have not heard this name mentioned before and therefore I have no interest in protecting him or as you imply. To get you in the picture I once was thinking of starting a similar business with Maltese people but I transferred my attention somewhere else for reasons mentioned before (pity).

Anyway I fully agree with Hostie and employing people without a work permit is a big NO-NO and if this is the case I agree that something should be done so that these things do not happen. ECAM This is Maltese and is licensed to fly these aircraft (according to the profile) oppure he was he not given the job? Why did European 2000 request foreigners when Maltese pilots could fly the plane?

Not paying pilots is another big NO-NO plus a number of other things that are rumoured. What I said is that the company European 2000, if all this is true, is as you say…should not be trusted but until rumours turn into facts I feel that waiting for such sad rumours in Malta aviation to start an orgy of personal attacks is not appropriate. If somebody feels something unjust was done to him he should settle things in court.

To answer YGHP I also agree with what he says. The 11 points mentioned if true are horrible and cannot imagine somebody getting away with all that! What I don’t quite get is comments like “a cowboy like Micallef” “crook” Bull****ter etc which in my opinion are out of context. I might be wrong and stand to be corrected on this.

Anyway to cut it short, I am quite happy to see what is going on as the story unfolds and will be visiting these forums often but I don’t wish this issue to end up out of context and acts only as a personal target range between people because all interest and benefit will be lost. I will also be trying to possibly get some additional info and will keep you posted. Ciao

[Hostie from Hell]

But of course historically ... it has always been far from peaceful.
well... it's the EU's problem to sort out from May next year :{ :{ :{ :{

[ECAM This]

it appears that Mr. Micallef is making more false reports. this time to the FAA that the pilots in question were not properly licenced. this AFTER they (pilots) all attended FAR 135 training in the USa and had checkrides with an FAA examiner!

this man must be stopped, just as those before him were...

Al Capone,
Bugsy Segal,
Two Gun Alterie,
Bonnie and Clyde, and...

Mr. Raymond V Micallef and his chief pilot Gilles Reveillac (Micallef & Reveillac)

i am watching the local news and will advise everyone when this is aried on the teli or papers.

[AvanGinkel]

Most likely Freccia, I can admit and hope NOT all 11 items are TRUE. What I can say is that at least most of them are true.
When I read that other topic on this website regarding Europen 2000 (PPRuNe Forums - Airlines..Routes) started 15 July 2003... The pilots had to pay 12000 USD to do their recurrency...???
I have been there and done this for:
+/- 6200 USD Flight Safety
+ 1500 USD ticket Roundtrip (Europe-San Antonio-Europe)
+ 750 USD Hotel
=
+/- 8500 USD

I have to admit we had a car of a friend...
BUT 12.000 USD,,,... I have some question marks here... It might be the captain checkride in the real plane...??? But still the difference is huge...??? The pilots involved could have checked this out before doing the recurrency or not... Flight Safety is open to anybody and will answer these questions direct.

Later

[ROO-C26B]

AvanGinkel,

I have done some research, in fact there was a special deal with the company's TX, AOC holder. According to European 2000 recruitment all new hires must be PIC qualified before joining. Evan though you are current on type, they will make you to go through the recurrent training. Thus details as follow;

1. Recurrent and initial training USD$ 9,000
(This is only for the use of FSI San Antonio Sim. This recurrent and initial training is not done by FSI but through TX, AOC holder. Thus there is no FSI creditation.)
2. Hotel USD$ 2,100 (San Marcos and San Antonio)
3. Car rental USD$ 1,250

These come to USD$ 12,350 exclude relocation cost to Malta from TX.

The Sim at FSI San Antonio is a class C Sim. A full PIC checkride can be proformed in that Sim (no.:303).

Edited to remove some irrelevant comments that cause thread drift.

[Hostie from Hell]

still nothing in the Times of Malta ... as I said, it will be buried and the odd wrist slapped, or it's going to appear under a very small headline on page 5 :yuk:

[Nerik]

Hostie,

Even within aviation circles here in Malta the story is still largely unknown and the people who have heard about it are only the PPRUNE regulars, so I doubt whether the Times got hold of it. Maybe if you post them a link to the topic they'll write a story! ;)

[Hostie from Hell]

Times of Malta were made aware of this story on 6th October 2003.
I therefore refer you to my previous comment, and if I were to take a wager, it would be that this gets buried.
:yuk: :yuk: :yuk:

unless of course
this story in todays edition counts (http://www.timesofmalta.com/core/article.php?id=137580)

[privateer01]

It might interest you to know that Ray Micallef's father who is a director of the company (european 2000) is ex police. So don't count on alot happening there eh? :mad:

[ECAM This]

it appears that the old man micallef is infact former police. all the pilots have been sued in the malta court for damages - and they were not notified of the case. now they must pay european 2000 airlines for the little flying that they did - which THEY were supposed to be paid for doing!!!!

ray micallef is supposedly on his way to london, where a surprise will meet him. watch your back mr.ray. your former boys (pilots) are out to get you, and they are quite upset. one of them mentioned using you for baseball batting practice!!!

[Flap operator]

I have been watching this thread develop with particular interest,
as a potential investor in a Maltese business concern (not aviation).

The country will after all be signing the E.U treaty in May 2004.
With civil law being abused in this manner, my company will be investing elsewhere, quite possibly Italy or Croatia.

[Nerik]

Flap Operator,

What kind of businessman bases his decisions on a thread on a bulletin board?
Of course similar stories to this have never happened in Italy, Croatia or any other country for the matter............:yuk:

[B Sousa]

Excam Writes:"ray micallef is supposedly on his way to london, where a surprise will meet him. watch your back mr.ray. your former boys (pilots) are out to get you, and they are quite upset. one of them mentioned using you for baseball batting practice!!!"

I think if I were you excam, I would not be so brazen on a forum. Sometime it could come back to bite you in the ass... Words easily said are sometimes hard to take back. I think I wrote that book....
Lots of eyes out there read this crap....

[ROO-C26B]

Flap Operator,

Well said.:ok: As an investor especially investing oversea local law and order is an important factor of concern. So far as this thread evolves it indicated that "Law and Order" in Malta requires a major overhaul. Corruption within the authority is an indication of an uncivilised society.

Those pilots were lured to go to Malta for a promising future( yeah, get arrested for working illegally), did not get paid and expenses was never reimbursed, little and no flights at all (heard from the grapevine that there was only 2 so called revenue flights of which all the passengers were Mr Micallef close friends and rest of the flights was due to a maintenance nature-flight test as one of the planes was grounded for 12 months), and now the the company is suing the pilots for damages. What a F#@K!N joke. :yuk:

Clearly, if Mr Micallef's father is an ex-police than he is using his connection to law and order to help his son to exploit labour. "Labour Exploitation" is a major crime in a civilised world. Perhaps the EU should look into the local law and order closely.

[YGHP]

Maybe the pilots lied about their status to European 2000? Maybe Mr Ray Micalleff had no alternative but to have them arrested and charge them for the flying time and not pay them wages. What has REALLY happened to these pilots? Do they exist?

Could it be European 2000 is hoping to merge with a major airline and this is all a publicity stunt.......Maybe to be a global airline 'World 2000'.

"Special Offer - European 2000 shares selling at 1cent per 2000 shares......any offers?"

[Flap operator]

I agree it would be rash to base a business decision on postings on Pprune, or elsewhere for that matter, however it may be fair to assume that I have a degree of knowledge and experience in Malta and elsewhere that warns me thus.
I am required by law to take on a 51% Maltese partner in any business that I may wish to start, or as is my case my maximum shareholding in an existing business is 49%.

This is not the case in either of the other E.U countries mentioned.
The legal system in this particular country has always had a rather large question mark over it, my point is that until this sort of abuse is ended, the choice as to whether to invest becomes a question of trust.. fine when things are going well... but what if ?

While things remain the way they are, the inward investment that Mr. Fenech-Adami's government is seeking to attract will be looking for safer options. Q.E.D.

This is no place for my Euros.
:yuk:

[ROO-C26B]

These 3 pilots do actually exsit alright, all hold a FAA ATPL license.

My understand is that these pilots have had to go through the US to obtain their recurrent training. Thus as one may knows after the September 11 incident the US government has tightened its regulations in regards to pilot training in the US. These pilots can't lie about their background to European 2000 as there is a very stringent background check conducted by all these US govenment departments namely the DOJ, TSA and the FAA. Any small glitch in the background check the pilot will be refused to commence training and had to leave the US immediately.

Conversely, the bottom line to the truth of the story is that European 2000 lied about the company's perspective future to lure unsuspecting pilots and did not paid their pilots(wages and training and relocation expenses).

Do what I did call up European 2000 and find it out yourself :ok:

[privateer01]

I happen to know R. Micallef originally had two Maltese pilots when he first started his little adventure.
One did not finish initial training. The other could spot a bad situation developing and got out at a good time. Both where sued over their training contracts. Both have countersuits pending. So there is at least one Metro typed Maltese out there but he knows Micallef and would not work for him for all the tea in china.
These three guys that got arrested are not the first foreign persons to get duped on this deal.
R. Micallef hired a girl from San Antonio, Texas to work for E2000 airlines. She was to be the cabin attendant. No work permit, No experience with aircraft of any kind, I think she was a waitress he picked up at a restaraunt. Long story short, after his partner found out she was on the first plane back to Texas.
:ooh:

[It SHOULD be pink]

My husband was the first pilots to work for the Micallef family. We moved to Malta quite quickly as everything was urgent, urgent, urgent.

After 5 months the pay stopped coming and living became quite difficult. My son and me moved to my parents home, while my husband stay in Malta hoping to be paid for his service.

Then he demanded his pay or he would take the Micallefs to courts. Two day later the police came to his flat in Malta and arrested him for work-permit violations and threatening the Micallefs.

Then he was 3 months in prison for the work permits, 5 months in prison for the "threats" and 3 months in the deportation camp before he returned home.

His career and our marriage is destroyed because of this. I think everyone should stay away from the Micallefs and Malta.

Susana

[Hostie from Hell]

Susanna has just put the record straight, plain to see the price of trusting Micallef and Maltese justice :yuk:

I know several people who have met the "CEO" and have described him as an aviation wannabe, a Walter Mitty with a con-man's touch. Typical then that he creates an airline with no customers with somebody elses money and then shows callous disregard .. no... contemp, for his employees.

This has been a terrible tragedy for the families involved in this scam, and the Maltese police and justice system has once again shown itself to be the lumbering and brainless dinosaur people know it to be.

The sound of silence in the Maltese press is deafening.

[privateer01]

Susana, I think most pilots in the industry feel your pain and are sorry for your suffering.

Hostie, you hit the nail on the head. Its really burnin me up to think this guy will get away with this.
He sure is the wanna be you described. I think he had about 800 hrs. when he went to the states the first time. Took him three attempts to pass his check ride at Flight Safety.
R. Micallef was a ground handler before this. I believe he was fired from Baseops under a cloud

[Nerik]

Flap Operator,

As from 1st May 2004 Malta will form part of the EU and that will enable you and other EU citizens to set up businesses in Malta without needing a 51% Maltese shareholding. At the moment what you stated is true and it also applies to Maltese businessmen and companies in other EU countries. Air Malta set up Azzurra Air in Italy in 95/96 and it had a 49% shareholding due to the fact that Air Malta was not a community carrier.

[privateer01]

Just a comment to nerik and flap operator.....
The 51% rule is pretty easy to get around if you have a good corporate attorney.
For example european 2000, It has three Maltese as directors.
I would point out that one is the attorney for O.S. Wyatt. As his attorney there are certain obligations he must fufill. Thus his vote as a director is probably controlled.
I would also point to the difference between common stock and preferred stock which is held in the above company. Look who holds what and which stock has voting rights. I think you will figure it out.:ooh:

[YGHP]

privateer01

I wonder if Mr. O. Wyatt is aware of what is going on in Malta and how his funds are being used?

What is your opinion about the connection?

It's a pity so many people have had to suffer due to one man's blind ambition.

[B Sousa]

While this thread is going on 11,000 plus hits already, Im sure Mr Wyatt and all his attorneys have seen it....If the matrix were known we could sit here and connect the dots on phone conversations also.
Just remember boys and girls regarding your posts here. When it comes down to the We'ums and the They'ums. The side with the most Money usually wins......

[It SHOULD be pink]

If Mr. Wyatt was a resectable business man, he would repair the damage done by this criminal Mr. Micallef, his partner. Regretably, it appears the Mr. Wyatt is an equal criminal.

It's sad that such people, people who have wealth and means, must use it to the disadvantage of others who have to work hard and use their hard-earned savings to try to get ahead, only to be taken and then have to suffer.

Worse, is the fact that these people exploit the governments of these "Third World" countries where the laws which apply to them in their own countries (USA & EU) can not be used to portect their innocent victims.

What is worse, is that these criminals will inflict themselves on other pilots. I only hope that the old adage, "what goes...comes!" is reallytrue, and that people like Wyatt and Micallef one day have this happen to them.


BTW...I think some airlines would be interestted to know that another of Mr. Wyatt's companies is in the aircraft leasing business.




http://www.forbes.com/global/2003/0609/026.html

"...The trick is finding financing to carry your inventory. Lenders like GE Commercial Finance and commercial banks that specialize in aviation financing shiver at the thought of accepting used aircraft 15 to 20 years old as collateral. Stuart Peebles quit his job as president of US Airways Leasing and Sales one year ago and bought 90 737s, MD-80s and DC-9s after Texas businessmen

Oscar Wyatt

and Douglas Jaffe backed him with $100 million. Peebles now runs Jetran International, a company with a parts warehouse in Miami the size of two football fields and a team of engineers, pilots and mechanics in Romania. Five years ago 737-200s sold for $5.5 million, $4 million more than today's prices. "The buyers look at these and say, 'This aircraft is going to last me maybe five years, and at that price, this is a good deal,'" Peebles says. .."

[Flying.Coyote]

Oh, Oh, we are talking about pprune here :

http://www.independent.com.mt/daily/newsview.asp?id=21718

Website claiming airline scam doing ‘untold damage’ to Malta’s name

Staff Reporter

An airline pilots’ forum is carrying a story which alleges a scam by a Maltese businessman with a new local airline. The allegations that are being made paint a very ugly picture of Malta and its institutions and have not, to date, been cleared up.

Sources said the topic has proved to be one of the hottest in this forum for quite a while and has already produced some 12,000 hits in three weeks. The damage being done to Malta and to its aviation industry, it was claimed, is “untold and incalculable”.

Following the allegations, a man who claimed he is a British businessman, stated that this story has swayed his decision definitely not to invest in Malta due to what he has heard about the Maltese laws and stories of alleged corruption.

The story told in the forum regards alleged arrest of four pilots with a new airline and court action undertaken by both sides in the issue.

The link is: http://www.pprune.org/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=104119&perpage=15&pagenumber=1

Attempts to get in touch with some of the people mentioned in the link proved unfruitful yesterday.

[maltese_citizen]

yes, this story appeared today in our media, The Malta Independent.

I bet this forum will receive record hits today.


Worse, is the fact that these people exploit the governments of these "Third World" countries where the laws which apply to them in their own countries (USA & EU) can not be used to portect their innocent victims.


Malta is not a third world country. Our laws should be in line with those of the EU which we will join in May 2004.

A lot of exagerations & outright lies were said against Malta here on this forum. I hope investors don't decide whether to invest or not in Malta on these posts. May I remind you that Sicily & South Italy are far from being a business honesty heaven.

[ROO-C26B]

At last a media report of this terrible scam. But is it effective enough to rise a few eyebrows in the justice department.

Heard from the grapevine that the people involved especially the pilots might had all left the island of Malta. This is due to the pilots concern about their own safety as one of the directors, father of the CEO, is an high ranting ex-police. Also threats from the CEO has caused the pilots to flee the island state as indicated by Susana (It should be PINK) that her husband was jailed by his ordeal.

An insider had told of an early incident related to the Canadian pilot who seek his embassy help in Malta was later threaten by his own Canadian embassy consulate general, whom is a local Maltese, that "if he causes any trouble in Malta he should beware of his action".

One can clear see the corruption within the Maltese civil laws are higly undesirable. I hope these pilots would not be victims of another Mr Ray Micallef's scam. Justice should prevail.

[B Sousa]

Now that PPrune has the Notoriety, Im sure the Moderators will be watching closely for their own protection. Lets keep the thread going as long as possible to get the word out. Just make sure you dont cross the lines of civility.
Your playing with the folks who have the Golden Rule...." He who has the most Gold Rules." Lets hope the little guys can do a number on Goliath. If you cant find Justice in Malta, dont forget, some of the Players are in the States or have assets here.... We have more Lawyers than People.....

Let the games Begin.................

[meddoc]

I have been alerted to this forum by a news item that appeared on the local papers today.

I have looked over some of the postings and I can say that some of them clearly show the lack of knowledge about Malta.

Chapter 217 of the Maltese laws clearly speaqks about work permit. Any foreign person that seeks to work in Malts needs a wroking permit. When his employer applies for this working permit, the permit is sent to the employee and not to the employer. Thus the employee knows if he has a permit or not. Permits in Malta usually take from 6 weeks to 12 weeks to be approved or not.

Thus it is the resposnibility of the employee to know if he has a permit or not, otherwise he is accomplice. So those that were involved should stop acting as victims, they knew that they were working without a permit.

Persons that are caught without a work permit are usually deported after being arraigned in court (usually within a couple of days)

On the other hand, the employer is arraigned in court and accused of employing people without a workpermit.

Though yes we do have our own number of criminals, this is not in anyway higher than anywhere else and scam companies exist (I personally can mention at least 1 Australian, 1 American and 1 British company that crossed my path).

As a matter of information all the information on Maltese laws can be found on http://www.justice.gov.mt/legalservices.asp and the list of expatriates (updated on a montly basis) can be found on: http://www.doi.gov.mt/EN/workpermits/wplist/monthslast3.asp.

Anyone wanting to invest in Malta or work in Malta should visit the website www.investinmalta.com for the proper information. relying on hearsay or as thename of this forum implies, rumours, is just making a fool of himself!!!

[Nerik]

So where are the people who were accusing the Maltese media of covering up this story?
I know for a FACT that one journalist will be reporting this story in a Sunday newspaper after only got to know about this story yesterday and immediately acting upon it. I would not be surprised if the Malta Independent journalist did the same. Whether other newspapers did not when informed in previous weeks does not necessarily confirm a media cover up but it could also mean that they thought the reporter or this thread was a far from reliable source.
Malta is not a country where everyone walks along the straight and narrow (nor are any of the countries where posters are posting from) but to portray it as some heavily corrupt, dangerous 3rd world country is stupid...........

[privateer01]

The last post on obtaining a permit in Malta.....

It seems to me that the employer is responsible to submit the documentation and application for a work permit.
If you are the employee, the only assurance you have that the employer has submitted the required paperwork is what he tells you. I suppose you could contact the goverment directly to find out your status but that can be difficult. So, if you are being lied to by your employer you can end up in real trouble.

To the Maltese,
I understand your pride in your nation, but come on. Its not exactly like the rest of europe or even England. This is not a good thing nor bad just different. There is corruption here in the USA it just costs more.
But Malta did remind me of Mexico with a british influence.

TO Any news organizations.... Just keep turning over the Rocks and you will have one very interesting story on European 2000 airlines.

[Anrasp]

I work for a BIG Multinational company operating in Malta which has invested over 700 Million US$ since it was first set up in Malta.

Most of Maltese law is fully in line with EU legislation and Malta provides an excellent base Malta to penetrate both the Southern European as well as the North African markets and beyond.

Malta's workforce is multilingual, highly skilled, educated, and perhaps most important of all, flexible. The Maltese produce high quality work at a fraction of European and North American costs.
There are more university graduates on a pro rata basis, than in many other competitor countries.

The Business Promotion Act offers incentives which are very attractive and cover tax incentives, soft loans, investment allowances, training assistance and others.

The support we receive from local authorities and govermental agencies is second to none.

Anrasp


PS ... to come clean ... I am Maltese

[josephshankes]

meddoc

Don't mention workpermits, or B Sousa will get all agitated. Maybe it is because it pricks his conscience.

[Pisces]

I believe that most of you Malta bashers havent the faintest idea what you are talking about.
You must be mistaking our dynamic forward-looking island with either southern Italy or Sicily , Marseilles or one of the Greek islands.
You should come over for a visit and see for yourselves what it is like and not base your ludicrous conjectures on hearsay and malicious rumours spread by people with hidden agendas of their own.

:cool:

[B Sousa]

JosephShankes Writes:"meddoc

Don't mention workpermits, or B Sousa will get all agitated. Maybe it is because it pricks his conscience. "

Sorry to disappoint you but I have no problem with his explanation. Unlike your statements his are very neutral....
Relax a bit in the "Rumor Forum"

[meddoc]

The employee knows that if he does not have the work permit in his hands (he has to go and collect it by hand from the Office of the Prime Minister - expatriate section) then he has no work permit. He has also got to know that there isno grace period, i.e. he cannot legally work whilst waiting for the work permit to be apporved. This is the law and I can tell youit is practically the same as the UK legislation. Apart from this, the expatriates list that have a work permit is public inoformation available on the official government site and updated on a monthly basis

Thus again these people that were caught in this business and deported cannot be considered victims but in fact accomplices!! Sorry guys but this is the truth.

One other point (and I know this as a fact) pressure is being exerted by the authorities so that workers that do not have a work permit are identified and the neccessary steps taken against them and against their employer. This is not only fair tothose that are legally employed and paying their dues but also from the safety point of view as these persons are not covered by any type of insurance!!

[Hostie from Hell]

re : The last post on obtaining a permit in Malta.

so thats the law.

Question .. why was this airline operating US registered aircraft on a US AOC, with US licenced pilots from Malta ?

Question .. were the pilots officially based in Malta ?

Question .. If you are a US pilot, flying a US aircraft on a US AOC
is a work permit required if the aircraft "happens" to overnight regularly on Malta ?

Ps hurrah ! The press has spoken at last... now how about the issues being investigated ?.

[Treetopflyer]

The problem is much much bigger than this sole immigration issue.

For the sake of the argument, let's pretend you are right on the immigration part. Let's pretend that the responsibilities are shared between the foreign employees without a work permit, and the employer who did not mail their immigration application. Well, let's look at the results:
- The foreign employees have been forced to leave their jobs and the island. Fair enough!
- The Company and/or CEO are still living happily in Malta and have NOT been given any kind of fine, emprisonment, or criminal sentence. Is it normal???

See, this is the real issue, here. Now, looking at the big picture, here are other things that this company does not do right:

- Writing checks that bounce: alright, s**t happens, you can write a couple of them by mistake. However, when you write more than a dozen of them over a short period of time to pay your bills (mostly to Maltese individuals or companies), it becomes a CRIME because you KNOW that you don't have any money left on your account. Boys and girls of Malta, these kinds of behaviors will kill your economy if they are not punished as they deserve!

- Not paying employees, or paying them over 2 weeks late: this applies to Maltese and foreign workers alike. It became worse for the foreigners because they ended up not getting their money at all after being forced to leave the island...

- Carriage of revenue passengers by a Limited Liability Company with 600 LM (=1700 USD) of capital: think about it before you put your kids on this airline... If the CEO forgets to pay his insurance and the passengers are killed, you will only be able to sue for 600 LM... It means that these people are responsible for your life, up to 600 LM only... Scary?

This list is non-exhaustive. I am just trying to explain to you that European 2000 Airlines and its CEO Mr. Ray Micallef are showing plain contempt for the Maltese Law, for their fellow Maltese citizen, and for the foreign workers alike. Don't you think it is fair to ask for a fair trial in front of a Maltese Court, where a Maltese Judge or Jury decides on a compensation/punishment for all the parties involved?

And please, let's stop portraying Malta as a third-world country because it is simply untrue, discriminatory and insulting. I have only dealt with good people in Malta during my stay. This scam is the only thing that makes me mad, but it could have happened in any other country. I am just begging for the Maltese judicial system to take an objective look at this European 2000/Ray Micallef case.

[insider]

I just want to use this opportunity to give some details with regards to the Maltese system. In Malta, whenever you have a bureaucrat problem….rather than finding your problem, all you do is call a friend in some department and have them help you out. I know this is not the topic in question, but I’m sick and tired of all those who have posted messages stating that things work properly in Malta. Evidently they don’t have to tackle these idiots in gov departments, who’s sole aim in life is to invent excuses to justify their paycheck.

A few examples follow…
In most parts of the world, if you have an aviation query all you do is contact the local CAA. They usually have professionals who will ans your query on the spot. In Malta they simply refer you to JAR’s and the ANO (in some cases the two documents contradict each other), is it any wonder so many people breach either the JAR’s or the ANO?

Want to fly from Malta? No problem, as long as you don’t hurt some preferred operators.
One operator in Malta has been allowed to operate spotter plane flights (where they spot tuna and direct fishing boats towards them), this is done even though a letter was hand delivered to all operators stating that if there is an suspicion that they are involved in tuna spotting, their a/c will be impounded and the operator/pilot fined/imprisoned. This particular operator says that his are pollution control flights, during which he tells boats towing tuna pens where any oil slicks are. However the owner and some of his close friends boast that, well if you see fish you can always say…look! There’s tuna, thus acting as a spotter plane!!! This guy is so powerful that the previously mentioned letter was delivered two days before becoming effective, thus screwing any other operator intending on doing these flights. Not to mention the fact that they transmit from a portable transceiver from within the aircraft, which I believe is illegal…the radio was brought on a ‘private’ flight from Italy, any doubt as whether it has been declared to the wireless department?
Someone posted a message stating that a guy had operated commercial flights on a single engine a/c out of Malta and subsequently crashed on one of these flights. In this case, the DCA (local CAA) stated that the a/c had made a couple of hundred flights in the preceding year, and that they were about to start investigating him…what a bloody coincidence. Anyway, this tuna guy is also operating his a/c without an AOC on charter flights. They are simply declared as private. The DCA chooses to remain silent on the matter. Because the flights are ‘private’, the pilots have no flight time limitations.

All of you who think this is an exaggeration evidentially haven’t battled against these idiots. This is just a small portion of what goes on, trust me, I know…I see these things all day, every day.

Sorry if I diverged from the main topic, but I just had to take this opportunity to let people know what happens in Malta. Maybe this way the justice system will get moving and heads start getting chopped off, not literally of course.

Thanks ECAM this for the wonderful opportunity.
As for the European 2000 apparent scam, I choose not to comment much. I have seen the now famous Ray Micallef, Always posing in uniform just to have a strol at the airport, or in a flight suit during the airshow. If he did was has been alleged, then he deserves a huge fine and a ban from opening any company. Jail? well, not unless it can be proven that there were physical threats.
Keep us posted.

[YGHP]

As stated in a previous posting we are still waiting for answers....

"What I wish is that this CEO, Ray Micallef, will deny the following:

1-he did not pay his pilots

2-he did not pay his engineers

3-he gave false promises

4-operated illegally from Malta

5-he did not pay the agreed expenses for re-current training on
Metro type to pilots

6-was decietful to his employees

7-issued cheques locally which were dishonoured by the bank

8-employed foriegn pilots without a work permit

9-had some of his pilots arrested by the local authorities

10-had a Part 135 removed from one company then moved to another and it seems also rejected.

11-unable to get a JAA licence to operate from Malta beacuse of who he is not who he knows.

12-his REPUTATION???

Is this normal buisness ethics for a new company. I think not.
In short his buisness ethics are a shade of grey bordering on black. I wonder what credit rating European 2000 Airlines would have (1 star minus if it exists!)"

FINALLY WILL THE LOCAL MALTESE AUTHORITIES INVESTIGATE AND EXPLAIN HOW THIS WAS ALLOWED TO HAPPEN FOR WHICH THEY ARE SUPPOSED TO SAFEGUARD THE PUBLIC FROM SUCH OPERATORS! The public have a right to know especially once this has been brought to local and international attention.

I hope we will not get the 'pass the buck' and 'it was not my responsibility' and 'finger pointing' attitude......

[meddoc]

One operator in Malta has been allowed to operate spotter plane flights (where they spot tuna and direct fishing boats towards them), this is done even though a letter was hand delivered to all operators stating that if there is an suspicion that they are involved in tuna spotting, their a/c will be impounded and the operator/pilot fined/imprisoned. This particular operator says that his are pollution control flights, during which he tells boats towing tuna pens where any oil slicks are. However the owner and some of his close friends boast that, well if you see fish you can always say…look! There’s tuna, thus acting as a spotter plane!!!

Just to not I am not in any way connected to the aircraft/airline business but I am an aircraft enthiusiast .

I checked the law (it is acailable on line) and this (the quote) is only applicable for June. Apart from this, it is clear from the law, that it is very difficult to monitor and enforce. Here is the excerpt of interest:

3. Aircraft in support of fishing operations in the Mediterranean Sea shall not take off from, or land in, Malta throughout the month of June of each year.


4. If it appears to the Director that an aircraft is intended orlikely to be flown in support of fishing operations, the Director shall have the right to prohibit the take-off from, or landing in Malta of that aircraft during the month of June of each year.

The crucial wording is "if it appears". This signifies a difficulty in clear cut disitinction between what is "fish spotting" and other legal activities.


As for the employer being fined or otherwise, investigations are still on going so I cannot comment.

There was a point about overnight staying US registered pilots etc. If these are employed (paid) by a Maltese registered company they still need a work permit even if they never set foot in Malta!

Now for all of you that seem to enjoy bashiong Malta and each other (and some I have a good knowledge that they are Maltese - shame on you), even larger countries have similar problems with their aviation authorities and regulators. I just happened to fish out an interesting aticle from Australia written by Paul D Phelan, Executive editor, Australian Flying magazine; Senior contributor, Aircraft & Aerospace Magazine; Australian correspondent, Flight International magazine; Senior contributor, Middle East Aviation Journal (Dubai, United Arab Emirates).

http://www.flight.org/phelan/failing.htm

Last point, Maltese laws are in harmony to EU laws.

[Hostie from Hell]

For those who think this is about knocking Malta CLICK HERE (http://www.pprune.org/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=105218&highlight=malta) and see another side to the islands.

Insider : spot on !!

Dealing with the desk drivers in Malta is and always has been a nightmare, and the fact that a very high percentage of the population have a government job as well as a sideline business makes the scenario you cite as being the norm, you have a problem ? then you go to a friend that knows somebody, otherwise sit back and watch the papers being shuffled: it is safer not to make a decision, and pass the buck to somebody else.

A couple of instances that have come to my attention over the years have been: the changes in property law that led to an aquaintance having a house confiscated and given to a government employee. and so called "Green belt" land suddenly sprouting appartment blocks.

There appears to be a group to whom normal laws do not apply, and another group who aspire to become part of it.

These islands are home to some of the very best people I have ever met . . anywhere !.
Unfortunately there is also the other side that we are witnessing here, but this time on a very public and international stage.

On the final point: a maltese regisered company can always subcontract or source personnel from a foriegn company with the same name and the same directors.. now the waters get rather muddy do they not ?

[meddoc]

On the final point: a maltese regisered company can always subcontract or source personnel from a foriegn company with the same name and the same directors.. now the waters get rather muddy do they not ?


This would be legal as the personnel would be employed by the foreign company on a foreign soil and presumably under foreign laws.

What we have been describing totally different, otherwise they would not have been deported (always if they had all the papers and contracts in order).

On the other hand, the MFSC i.e. Malta Financial Services can always invisestigate such companies that would seem to have phantom activities. (Again I am sure that something like this is being investigated)

[Hostie from Hell]

meddoc, playing devils advocate as I am prone to do:

If one were unscrupulous, one could have XXX airlines (Malta) Ltd. and XXX airlines (Camen Islands ) Ltd.

Two companies, two contracts of employment.
It would then come down to which parts of the law it was convenient and expedicious for one to use.

For the record I was told (some years ago) by an official at the office for expatriate affairs that I could start work immediately because " your work permit application is in the system".

Strange that ..
:cool:

[meddoc]

For the record I was told (some years ago) by an official at the office for expatriate affairs that I could start work immediately because " your work permit application is in the system".

One thing that I have learned is that i never take the word of any employee - whether government or not. I always ask for eveything in writing!

Even if the application is in the system, it can always be refused! In this case, your "official" was clearly wrong unless it was an extension of an laready granted permit. In this case, even though it can be refused, the original permit is still valid until you receive the refusal.

As for unscrupulous behaviour, one can never have a fully, fullproof law and unscrupulous lawyers (quite a few around) can always find loopholes! You can never win them all.

[dtk]

I have just seen this post and read it carefully. I have noticed some things which doesn't make sense to me.

In all this story which can be true as well as blown up a lot, people working in Malta in every job not just aviation has to have a working permit which you have to collect from the PM office by hand. So these people knew that they were breaking the law so in my opinion they are as guilty as their employeer.

Secondly, reading this forum accurately makes me come up with 2 things, there are people in here with two or three different user names and these people are blowing this thing up. And I ask, are these people doing this on purpose to damage the image of European 2000 for there own purpose?. Are these people jeolous of this Ray Micallef which is a treath for there interest in aviation in Malta?. Maybe they are the same people who are doing flights to and from Malta and they are seeing European 2000 as a treath to themselves and there future?.

This is my personal opinion which I got from reading this forum. Come on guys lets talk fair in hear. It's no sense of throwing mud in other peoples face. BE REAL :confused: :confused:

[RatherBeFlying]

This episode is a cautionary tale for anybody contemplating employment abroad.

Normally a new employee credits the employer as acting in good faith and relies on the employer to inform the employee of the local rules and regulations and make sure that the paperwork is properly done.

But if the employer is a shady operator, you are about to be well and truly :mad:

[B Sousa]

Hostie From Hell writes: "If one were unscrupulous, one could have XXX airlines (Malta) Ltd. and XXX airlines (Camen Islands ) Ltd."

Interesting if you are talking about the "Cayman Islands" as one of the players mentioned earlier does have his fingers in the pie there also.

[insider]

Just a short reply to meddoc and dtk's postings.

Meddoc, you quoted the law. SO? did you check when this law came into force? strange huh? Even if it was there for years, it was never enforced. FACT- Spanish and Italian spotter a/c were based at MIA all summer (YES, that includes June) but all of a sudden a letter was hand delivered stating all this had to stop. That same June the mentioned operator started flying. Looks to me as though the Law was amended/enforced to suit this person.
In July anybody can fly out to spot Tuna, guess what? this guy than stops flying...his contract is specifically for June.
Sounds fishy to you? I does to me.
One guy took a picture of an a/c belonging to the mentioned operator and published it on a politically oriented newspaper. What did he get? NOTHING....apart from threats from some gov officials he happened to come across in a bar (they recognised him!!! he had never seen him).
On one of these flights the owner of the a/c (a pilot himself....another wannabe) actually had a government official (from the office of the Prime Minister) on board, who was duly picked up from the VIP area then dropped back off earlier than predicted; as ATC called the a/c back as someone from the office called ATC and asked them to call this person back as he had an important meeting to attend. Kinda gives you an idea of the level of favouritism.

dtk, Shame on those Maltese who bash about their island? What else do you want them to do? remain silent? or speak up publicly thus giving away their identity? In a small country like Malta, if you do that you can rest assured that you will be served in some way or another. Just try it, then try getting some service from that same department!!! Should supply you with hours of fun.

[Hostie from Hell]

What an interesting first post ... always nice to see first time posters on Pprune.

Presumably you started at the beginning of the thread and summised that something had gone horribly wrong for some foriegn pilots working for a certain company ?, and presumably you realise that this is an aviation forum ? how would you feel if you went abroad to a new employer in good faith, and were treated in this way ? bet you would have something to say on the subject ..now go and read the whole thread again.

Certainly.. there are some people here more annoyed than others, and some people here with more of an insight than others.. but if you read it very very carefully you will see a lot of people looking for some answers, the backdrop to that is the likelyhood that this whole affair is about to be buried because of it's rather awkward political nature.

People have been hurt financially, professionally and personally .. allegedly there have been threats to life and limb, there is a deafening silence in the press, no statements, no investigation.

So if we take your advice and put our heads in the sand, it will be business as usual.
Some people feel that this is wrong... and the discussion continues.

[Jetset320]

<<there is a deafening silence in the press, no statements, no investigation. >>

Doesn't this strike you as suspicious, to say the least? Who ever started this thread has started only a rumour, and nothing but a rumour at this stage. No hard facts have been presented here. To me it seems possible that someone may have ulterior reasons for starting this "trial by internet".

Even the fact that it has not hit the press from day one, like any minor misdemeadour does here, makes me really suspicious that anything underhand happened at all, especially with all these conspiracy theories, which have gone to the ludacrus extreme that the Police, the Government, the Law Courts, as well as the Civil Aviation (DCA), are all involved in covering up this alleged scam. How powerful do you make this guy out to be?

I have no idea if what is alleged here is true or not (nobody does it seems), but the derogatory fashion with which this thread has developed, simply does not convince me.

Perhaps we should all just come back down to earth, and get our heads out of the clouds

[Nerik]

Well said RobinZ.......

[privateer01]

From what I have heard from both U.S. AOC holders involved with E2000 the allegations here are entirely in keeping with E2000 operating practices and policy.

There have been at least three groups of pilots....

First group that got the aircraft to Malta....
All gone.. Over the same type of problems expressed here.
(The Maltese pilots should post a comment here)

Second group to replace the first.....
All Gone.....
(the Frenchman who went should post a comment here)

Third group to replace the first....
All gone arrested or threatened out of the country.....

I have never met anyone with anything nice to say about R. MiCallef or his practices.

This is a small company that he was initally running out of the basement of his house. I think it very possible that this whole operation is just under the Maltese authority's radar. I think it has stayed there with the kind of help described in the above posts. A friends comment or suggestion here or there to the right person etc.

I think the Malta aviation company Medavia is still owed money by E2000. If you doubt the claims here maybe some one should ask them about non payment and bounced checks.

Nerik and Robin Z,

I see that both of your locations are in Malta
Go ask Trevor Crow (DCA) what he thinks of European 2000.

Let us all know what you hear......

[Nerik]

That's nice pirvateer01. Let us drag in Mr. Crow and get his comments on the issue. What if that would threaten HIS job then? Not a wise thing to do me thinks.............

[Freccia]

I have been following this tread for quite some time now and having been to Malta for a few days, having met some friends, who are into aviation, I have come to the same conclusion as RobinZ. I do not wish to put down all that was said to me but to all followers of this forum I wish you to know that as I had suspected the stories are very unreliable. What happened to the attempted murder? Very funny!!
I have to agree with dtk when he says that the same people are using different usernames. From the information I have those posting have an agenda that has been going on months before all this started. But anyway I find it very disturbing to learn that dirt is being thrown on a country which has changed very much since my days accusing police, justice etc etc. and all this to justify the “silence”, when most probable all what is said is simply not true but a personal desire to see this company or may we say threat fall to pieces. Please state your agenda before writing…things will look much clearer :ugh: :ugh:

As to privateer01 regarding the Maltese pilots to post their comments...do you think they know about this forum?:suspect:

[Jetset320]

None of us here are defending European 2000 or it's CEO; it's just the manner Malta's name has been thrashed in this debate with all these allegations of scams, corruption, attempted murder, that I object to.

Unless we hear anything more reliable, at this stage, these are all rumours. On the other hand the FACTS are that Malta is a full JAA state, with our laws in line to join EU in six months time, besides being a great place to invest and do business in.

If European 2000 owes money, it won't be the first, and it won't be the last.......United owes more than twice our island's total annual budget.

If their office is a basement, so what? Southwest didn't even have an office when it was set up on a piece of tissue paper in the seventies. I guess it's a struggle for all companies initially.

It's only the illegal stuff you should be concerned with, as we will all be, once (if) these allegations get past the stage of.........allegations.

[pirill 1]

Here's my hundredth Euro worth before this tread sizzles out


To all the conspiracy theorists: gimme a break, this E2000 outfit couldn't fix a parking ticket let alone muzzle the courts, press, aviation authorities and girl-guide movement.

The Malta bashers: sour grapes cause you don't live in the land of sun, sea and honey.

Those with a (not so) hidden agenda: take the dummy out, it gives plug teeth.

Nerik & Robin Z: shouldn't you be studying for your next sim?

[Nerik]

Sim is done and dusted....been a few weeks now. Want to know what's on the programme? Send me a few $$$ and I will tell you. After all we are living in Mexico with a British influence aren't we! lol

[fimtek]

The CEO of this scam company is a fake.

The CEO of this scam company should be investigated by the Maltese civil aviation department on exactly how he got his license and how he built up his flight experience.

Sources in Malta have described how Mr. Big Shot pilot here used to conduct “Illegally” flights on a Piper Navajo with another Maltese cowboy pilot who killed himself and 5 other innocent passengers. At the time Micallef held a PPL from the UK CAA and the other had “issued” for a fee of $500 a FAA CPL.

I urge anyone flying to Malta NOT to use his ground handling services. He will rip you off !!!!!!!! and don't buy any airline tickets from his company !!!!!

You've been warned !!!!

[Flap operator]

The CEO a fake ??? surely not.

heres my euro's worth (and its going to another country.. confirmed)...

Malta knockers ? sounds like a spot of paranoia from one post wonders: It's beautiful country, great people.. BUT....

So yer man was flying with the single engined merchant who the authorities turned a blind eye to was he ?

Now that hardly suprises me.
If the Malta CAA were prepared to allow this to continue until people died, and then said "Oh we were just about to investigate him" what level of authority is one supposed to trust?.

A previous post implied that this would be brushed under the carpet, and others say this is some dark anti Maltese theory.. my euros worth is :

I have seen it happen before on this nation state the size of the Isle of Wight, and I frankly doubt that this thread is as devisive as some would prefer to think it to be.
Wrists get slapped and palms get greased, but then the national attitude is a very insular one.... who is Malta accountable to ? and the greater question is.. will EU membership be seen as an opportunity to get the house in order ? let's see huh ?

A personal experience was introducing a new software package to Malta some years ago, presented it to a so called reputable company who wanted it, but declined to buy.. stating that they would find another user and get a bootleg copy !!!

Strikes me that whilst everybody is keeping stuff like this under wraps for national or family reasons there will be no progress.

The PA32 accident is apparently out there in the public domain.. it happened, and the only reason the cat was let out of the bag was that people got killed.

Consider that and put this thread down to conjecture :yuk:

[fimtek]

Authority ?????? What Authority ..... Ah ... you mean the National carrier,,, who until May 2004 holds the monopoly in Aviation. Have any of you people tried to operate any type of aviation related operation from Malta ??? Then you'll know what I mean.

Greasy Palms .... hahahahaha VERY Greasy.

People this is a typical SMALL ISLAND syndrome / mentality. It all depends on who you are and who you know !!!! Like Micallef who till today insists that he is still operating and has no problems.

your right to say its a very big shame for this wonderful little island nation. People in general are very good .. except for the likes of our big shot captain in question.

EU members and indeed the Maltese Government have a lot to do over here to clean up Malta.

Maybe .. just maybe these cover-ups and scams will be a thing of the past.

[pirill 1]

Who is Malta accountable to?

Why Mas'a, I am thinking that, maybe Suh, to its citizens.

Only someone who laments the demise of the Rajah would think otherwise.

Is your Greater Utopia answerable to someone else?

Paranoia? maybe...but only when it comes to self-styled 'cognoscenti' of the local scene who print drivel just 'cause they couldn't flog a floppy.

[Nerik]

Who is Malta accountable to because some companies bootleg PC programs and there is a dodgy airline (small airline by the way, not some large carrier) operation?
Using the same reasoning who are the US and UK accountable to when they justify wars by using 2nd hand student reports and doctored figures?! Who are the US accountable to when they dismiss International Treaties and agreements. Who is China accountable to when they occupy Tibet? Every country has issues.................
We could have a list of all the "honest" dealings of any country you'd like to mention Flap Operator up in a day and believe me you'll find that dodgy dealings, deals with the governments and perverting the course of justice is more common than you'd think or than your media might want you to believe (Italy? Have you read about any recent Italian court cases involving certain politicians and companies? Also, did they ever get to the bottom of the Ustica incident in Italy or is it a cover up involving the military planes of some "honest" states? Funny you decide against Malta coz of a Piper incident but a DC-9 incident is OK for you). It is OK to have a bash at Malta and other "small, insignificant corrupt little states" but just take a look at what the big boys have been doing and you'd quickly zip it.

[RatherBeFlying]

Nerik may be on to something.

The world would be better off with Bush running Malta where he can't do as much damage:E

[GDR133]

The mention of Oscar Wyatt Jr is very interesting. Does anyone know his actual involvement?

[acehigh75]

Oscar Wyatt is a director of European 2000 and also the financial backer with every cent. Don't know if they are making any money though.

What is the interesting connection?

[fimtek]

Well readers here’s the latest….

Capt. Untouchable Micallef has ridden off into the sunset to do some damage control with Mr. Wyatt and I’m guessing with the FAA as well.

Meanwhile, back in Malta Capt. Micallef has ordered some medical monitoring equipment for the remaining Metro which is equipped with a double stretcher. He told his Medical coordinator that he had to take one of the Metro’s back to the states where he has just picked up a “3 year contract” flying passengers in the US. Lets hope our friends in the US finally see through this mans lies and stop him in his tracks!!!!!

This man is a danger to the public, aviation and most of all to the reputation of this small and beautiful island nation.

So please, can’t someone do something about this self appointed captain before he is allowed to do anymore damage??

[Flap operator]

So .. lets get this right.

You support breach of international copyright law ?

You support selective enforcement of International aviation law ?

These and the core topic are matters of international concern and with EU membership just months away this should be ringing some alarm bells somewhere...... obviously not. :yuk:

[AvanGinkel]

Chief Pilot Frenchy and the CEO flew accross the ocean with #805. The plane is in San Marcos to get it ready to start flying out of Honolulu..... The US military offered them this opportunity... This all via Berry aviation.....????? Why didn't Berry fly themselves.... They have plenty SA-227's...???
We will see what's going on.... Lucky you that you were not riding on board, I bet it was a long ride with this 'crew'???
Actually, Didn't hear anything from the last three pilots anymore...???

[fimtek]

Rumor has it that CEO's wife and children have left him ....

Maybe she finally woke up to herself ???

[Caravanll]

Cpt.Ray, Cpt.Ray !

I believe it's the Yank you guys should be slandering ... not the self appointed Cpt., Ray ! I've been told that the Owner of these Flying Pencils, has mucho contacts in the Army/Navy, hence the Honolulu military contract. After all it is he who has the green stuff, surely not Cpt., Ray.

Thus, we may conclude, that our beloved Cpt., Ray is nothing but a puppet on a string ! - who seems to me, is living his lifelong dream thanks to US monies .....
I guess the Maltesers are still living with the bad publicity of that Prison movie, what's it called - MIDNIGHT EXPRESS. Guys that was only shot in Malta, it was portraying a Turkish Prison !!
Ah, Flap Operator .. just for the record, Cpt., Ray did not fly for "that" single engined merchant.
Pirill, don't you think FO is one of those W ......

FLY SAFE GUYS !

[AvanGinkel]

That about his wife... started when I was there in May 03.
I have nothing to hide that's why I just have my name here in the topic. I have been there and that was it. I should have started this topic in June. But unfortunately I didn't.
Sebastian, Ivan or Paul What's going on?

[acehigh75]

Rumour has it that Capt(?!) Ray is in deep financial troubles. It seems that the company may soon hit the wall.
The bank is chasing him also the tax man and many many companies and people who have got burnt with his actions.

We await a liquidator to be announced.......maybe there could be a court ordered auction of one Metro aircraft held at Medavia hanger in Malta.

[Flap operator]

As I am sure you were taught when you first started to learn about big light aircraft RTFQ=1/2BA

To the very best of my knowledge Mr Ray had not flown for either Excellair or Sun Air, others here seem to indicate otherwise, but not me squire.

Moreover if you want to play name calling games .. kindly go to jet blast.

Narak :}

[fimtek]

Flap Operator;

be sure that I personally have seen the Captain’s Log ….. He boasted the fact that he flew along side the single engine man and his other employees. It was there in black and white (or blue) ….. 9H-ACF PA31 …. LMML – DTTJ – LMML on many occasions flying PAX and freight for the major microchip company….

How the hell do you think he built up 600 hours on a UK PPL???? Flying local flights around the island in what he called his TB9 (which I am led to believe he was 1/42 share owner)????

BTW, local authority licensing person would have loved to have gotten his hands on the Captains Log, although now day’s not so sure because the other case seems to be closed and I don’t think they really want to open old wounds.

So am I right in assuming that the captain is still flying in Malta??

Newspaper report Friday 12th December about the 100th year of flight celebrations in Malta included a fly-over of this famous captain’s company aircraft, along with the other self appointed hero captain sharing the same first name and some smaller time “Commercial” pilots from Malta.

[FestusSlowPok]

You are correct..he is still flying

[ROO-C26B]

Insider info, heard from first hand that two out of the last three pilots have lodged claims against Capt Ray and his company E2000 via their respective local authority with the EU Labour Court. Hoping once Malta becomes an EU member state, the EU Labour Council would take action against this cheeky big shot and stop him on his track once and for all.

Confirmed DC805 is in San Marcos, TX, USA.

[fimtek]

Well its gone so quiet recently regarding our CEO friend, that it sounds like another case of a Maltese problem brushed under the huge carpet.

Face the truth guys .... This man has and will always Bull****t his way through life and destroy others in the process.

I really don't think the EU will do anything to him or his company ....

The local aviation authority don't want anything to do with this case, cause its an "N" registered problem as far as they're concerned ......

No one in government will stand up and say "hey its damaging our country's legal system reputation"

So I say to all you people around the world following the case of this swindler, Judge my country and its legal system by the outcome of what happens to this and many other Maltese like him.

I challenge the legal system and the people of this new up and coming European member state to eradicate the likes of this fraud and cheat ..... So that people will start to believe my country is a worthwhile place to visit, live and do business without the fear of idiots like Micallef ......

[AvanGinkel]

Well everybody.... Long time no reeds... It is really getting queiet.... May be I have some news for you.....
The french fighter pilot graduated from l'école de l'air, fighter pilot in the Falklands war, Frenchy made his hammerhead stall with a Jaguar and.....flameout........ HE is gone.... The only persons left are the CEO mister Ray M. and the Maintenance Director Bud (he is cool).
I also heard they have a contract with Thomas Cook....... Therefor they need to install a TCAS-2..... Well we will see....

[Boss Raptor]

and why would a French Air Force jaguar pilot have flown in the Falklands...unless he was working for Argentina...b*ll****ter ;)

Reading this whole sorry story through it appears like a lot of b*ll****ters out there in many industries not just aviation...ask questions from the outset and if the stories don't tally ring alram bells and investigate further...unfortunately people don't seem to want to do this especially when an offer of a good job is involved...remember 'if it sounds too good to be true it probably is' :cool:

[acehigh75]

I would rather trust Saddam Hussain than Ray Micallef.......in Malta he has quite a reputation with his dealings and I doubt that Thomas Cook are foolish anough to even do any kind of buisness with him. He will get what is due to him at the right time. He has used many people and it will come back hard on him.

[Treetopflyer]

So... Does Thomas Cook have the link to this thread???:E

[privateer01]

Does any one have any more info on this matter?

[AvanGinkel]

Isn't it enough? The story continuous big time.... They are still not flying revenue flights.... They brought #805 back from San Marcos (TX) to Malta with a TCAS-2 installation installed.
The DOM still in the USA.... more......

[YGHP]

Who is DOM? are they now going to finally operate legally??
we wait with anticipation.........
what happened to Ray Micallef....is he still active?

[kerryl]

Micallef is at it again. He had a chief pilot who comp[leted all the manuals, and has got them right up to the point of operating legally. He then moved the chief pilot sideways to bring in another chief pilot. The new chief pilot is one who l;ikes to be a big fish in a small pond, and would not sign up unless he was the boss. It should be fun to fly with them! Ray Micallef and Chief Pilot Les Thompson. Beware!

[amc13]

For your information below is a copy of an article carried in the times of Malta dated 23rd September 2005.

Regards

AMC13





European 2000 Airlines - a new Maltese-owned and registered airline company flying between Sicily and Malta - had its maiden flight yesterday.

Italian dignitaries from the travel industry as well as journalists were flown to Malta for a familiarisation tour of the Maltese islands. They are being hosted by the Malta Tourism Authority.

Airline director and chief executive officer Ray Micallef and Antonello Accardi, director of Sicilian tour operator Scirocco World Travel recently signed an agreement to start frequent charter services between Trapani and Malta.

The agreement launched a two-year partnership during which all close Italian destinations would progressively be made available by air for both Maltese and Sicilians.

The airline aims to not only offer a quality service at affordable prices but also an alternative to traditional airlines. Initially, flights will originate from Trapani with Catania and Palermo to follow suit. These departure points will connect to Malta, Tunisia and Tripoli. Trapani Birgi airport will act as the main hub serving the local community in particular, as well as offering a quick and efficient convention to foreign transit passengers.

"Our competitive prices will complement our clients' demand and frequency," said Mr Micallef, adding that international travel was expensive enough and costs would be kept to a minimum in line with the airline's low fare structure and operation.

"We have established a call centre in Trapani as well as one in our head office at Luqa to better serve our clients' needs," he said.

European 2000 Airlines holds a European Joint Airworthiness Authorities Air Operator's Certificate as well as a Malta Department of Civil Aviation Air Service License to transport passengers and cargo by air.

The company's flight reservation offices are at Luqa, tel. 2180 4187.

[md80forum]

The owner of European 2000 Airlines in Malta, Oscar Wyatt Jr, an 81-year-old oil tycoon from Texas, is being charged in a U.S. court. Read the New York Times story (http://www.nytimes.com/2005/10/22/business/22food.html?ex=1287633600&en=3588744ea01bcb3d&ei=5090&partner=rssuserland&emc=rss) here. None less is the alleged crime than paying Saddam Hussein's regime extras to have the first tanker load with oil to leave Iraq in 1996 under the UN Food-for-Oil program to be - his. The money traffic has gone through Switzerland, Jordan and "foreign companies". It shouldn't be far-fetched if European 2000 was that kind of company, set up after the autumn of 2000, when the first irregular payments were made. Buy two Metroliners, fly them overseas, launder the money.

I take it's a coincidence that the timeline is this:

Autumn 2003: PPrune starts this debate on expat pilots at E2000 being arrested for working in Malta without permits.

April 2004: I would rather trust Saddam Hussain than Ray Micallef...
:)

23 Sep 2005: European 2000 starts flts between Malta and Sicily

22 Oct 2005: European 2000 owner Wyatt is charged at a New York court for paying millions of dollars under the table to the Iraqi regime. He can face up to 62 years in jail.