International airshow may be grounded over insurance spat Ariadne Massa This month's anticipated airshow may never take off if the organisers and the Malta International Airport fail to see eye to eye over the insurance policy. With less than two weeks to go before the planes start to arrive, the Malta Aviation Society is worried it may have to cancel the 14th edition of the Malta International Airshow because of the steep insurance premium imposed by MIA. Meanwhile, MIA is insisting that it will not compromise the safety and security of its premises and if the society failed to have the insurance cover ready the event would not go ahead. MAS president Joe Ciliberti said when contacted that for the past three years the society has had to struggle to keep the airshow going because of MIA's steadily decreasing support. "MIA has constantly issued a stream of requirements, sometimes bordering on the unreasonable, which put the organisers of the airshow in an impossible situation," the society said in a statement. MIA's "last-minute demands" on the insurance policy were putting the airshow in jeopardy. This year's event promises the participation of two national display teams from Switzerland and Croatia and a civilian team from Italy. "MAS is a voluntary society and we are proud to have succeeded in organising 13 safe airshows, in compliance with international safety regulations," it said. Mr Ciliberti, who is also director of the European Airshow Council, said the whole issue revolved around how much the airport and its environs should be insured for when the airshow is held between September 23 and 24. In 2002, the society used to take out a £20 million policy. Recently, it had joined the MIA's insurance and it took out an extended policy. Without their knowledge the area was being insured for Lm50 million. This year, the society has had to revert back to taking a separate policy but it is unable to afford the premium that covers the airport for Lm50 million. "This is an extraordinary amount. No international airshow takes out an insurance cover for such a sum," Mr Ciliberti said. However, MIA is strongly rebutting allegations that the airshow is in jeopardy due to "unreasonable" requirements from its end. In a statement, the MIA said its requests were standard procedures in line with international aviation requirements to ensure safety and security. The "unreasonable" requirement the society was referring to involved the insurance policy to fully cover the event. The MIA said the policy was in line with that undertaken to cover previous airshows, and which the society had always adhered to. "In May, the MIA requested the organisers of the airshow to draw an insurance policy to cover the airport, third-party properties in the villages surrounding the airport and the public attending the event, therefore this is hardly a 'last-minute' demand," it said. "To date the society has failed to have this insurance cover ready. In such circumstances MIA is not prepared to allow the event to take place." MIA took offence over the society's remark that it had reduced its support for the airshow. For the past years the MIA had provided free lease of its areas and structures, the manpower to assist in the organisation, the provision of technical, security and operational services, the fire services back-up, as well as the cleaning of the area during and after the event. "Not only does MIA waive the costs of these services, but moreover it grants the society a concession to hold commercial activity on airside without partaking of any income," it said.