World Pilots’ Day

The driving force behind the creation of World Pilots’ Day was the Turkish Airline Pilots Association. The latter lobbied hard within the International Federation of Airline Pilots Associations (IFALPA) to set aside a day, that would allow aviators all around the globe to celebrate in style. The first World Pilots Day was officially launched in 2013. Since the Turkish pilot community was the real promoter of WPD, it was decided that that the date on which Fesa Evrensev’s first flight occurred would be internationally recognised as World Pilots Day. Malta has been late to embrace this very special occasion. Thanks to MAviO’s CEO Marvic Bugeja and her deputy Joanne Calleja together with input from board member and PPL pilot Stephen Gauci a unique photographic collage of Maltese pilots flying locally and abroad has been put up every year since 2021. As MAviO’s CEO recently remarked, for Malta celebrating WPD is doubly important. An island nation like ours would be completely cut off if it were not for pilots who safely connect us to the rest of the world.

Our heartfelt thanks go to all pilots who have gladly collaborated with us for this year’s special World Pilots Day photo collage – Captain Simon Attard (Flexjet), Captain Cliffton Vella (Oman Air), Keith Falzon and Pierre Carabez (Armed Forces of Malta), Jonathan Spiteri Terrible (European Pilot Academy – CPL/IR holder), Daniel Pullicino (MATS), First Officer Anton Cilia (Corendon Airlines Europe), Captain John Galea (Wizz Air Malta), Luca Juan Enriquez (MSOF – CPL/IR holder), Chantel Spiteri (Part 21), First Officer Francesco Vella (Universal Air)/ Captain Daniel Camilleri (Universal Air), Ing , Neil Sultana (Malta Flying App), Captain Damian Griscti (Qatar Airways), Britney Bondin (Malta School of Flying – CPL/IR holder), Captain Chris Gauci (Emirates), Stephen J Muscat (PPL / TM-CAD), First Officer Albert Bonnici (Avion Express Malta), Captain Denise Casolani / First Officer Warren Zammit (KM Malta Airlines), Captain Mark Gafa (Malta Air), Andre Abela (PPL/Universal Air), Ing Joshua Barbara (CPL/IR holder), Gerald Xuereb (PPL / Advisor)