The Air Malta team is mourning the loss of retired Captain Carmel (Charles) Massa who passed away at 66 years of age. The team expressed their sorrow in a statement.

They shared that Captain Massa flew with the airline of the Maltese Islands for 41 years, 31 of which he was captain. At age 31, he was the first Maltese captain to pilot an Air Malta aircraft heading for Gatwick London on 8^th October 1985.

Over the years, Captain Massa clocked in over 25,000 hours of flying time, while overseeing take-off and landing duties 8,000 times. His last flight before retirement was KM 612 to Rome (and back) on 5^th May 2016.

Captain Massa, we salute you. Condolences to his family and friends.