Air Malta Chief Executive Officer, Clifford Chetcuti, is set to resign in the coming days, according to a Times of Malta report.

The news portal cited sources who say that Capitan Chetcuti, a pilot by profession, decided to step down from the position for “personal reasons”.

The Times continues to say that a public call to find a new CEO later in August.

It cited sources who revealed Captain Chetcuti delivered the news to the board of directors and the office of the Prime Minister earlier this week.

The reportedly outgoing CEO joined Air Malta as a cadet in 1987, while also flying with both Emirates and Qatar Airways. He was appointed to the role of Air Malta CEO in September 2018.

Air Malta has experienced one of its most complex and challenging years to date, as its fleet had been grounded thanks to the pandemic, causing activity to grind to a halt. Further disputes with employee unions over pay-cuts and amended work-conditions further added to the challenge of insuring the national airline’s survival.

While employee disputes have been largely resolved, an ongoing battle with the pilots union, ALPA, continues after it made 69 pilots redundant earlier this year.