The Captain whom everyone enjoyed flying with!

MAviO News recently ran a snippet about Andrea Burlo retiring from KM Malta Airlines after spending 36 years in the aviation industry, initially as a cabin crew member and subsequently as a pilot. The news generated huge interest with many wishing him the very best after his long stint at the Luqa-based carrier. We caught up with Captain Burlo, days after his retirement, where he revealed that since he was a young boy he has always loved aircraft. He recalled how as a young teenager he used to hang around the airport perimeter fence clutching to his airband radio to listen attentively to the exchange of communication between tower and pilots. At the time, Malta was seeing a steady increase of arrivals from Northern Europe as British and Scandinavian tourists descended on the sun kissed island to work on their tan.

In 1989 came Captain Burlo’s big break, when he saw an advert for temporary cabin crew with the national airline and decided to apply with the intention of taking a sabbatical from studies while reflecting on his future endeavours. He eventually joined the now defunct Air Malta as a cabin crew member and remained in the role for eight years while rising through the ranks. This allowed him to pop into the cockpit from time to time for a friendly chat with the crew, while also getting a glimpse of the much-desired right-hand seat. It was at this time that his interest in making the transition from cabin to cockpit reached an all-time high.

Just after getting married in 1997, Andrea took unpaid leave and together with his wife flew to Livermore California where the real dream started materialising. He joined AHART AVIATION INC. , the owner of which coincidentally was brought up in Malta. Studied for his CPL/IR/ME there and then returned to the UK to PPSC (Professional Pilot Study Centre) in Bournemouth UK to do his ATPL and convert his licence to a JAA one. Fast forward to late 1998, when he applied to join KM as a cadet pilot. Air Malta sent the young aviators to Boeing in Seattle for their B737 type rating, which lasted 6 weeks. Needless to say, the “big day” as Andrea describes it, arrived in the final quarter of 1998 when he did his base training on 9H-ADI. This put him at the controls of a big bird for the very first time. Air Malta’s Boeing fleet at the time consisted of the B737-200Adv and the B737 Classic. Prior to his transition onto the Airbus A320, he accumulated 3000 hours on the Boeing 737. From time to time KM was also doing ACMI work for third parties to replenish its coffers and Captain Burlo spent four weeks flying in New Zealand on behalf of the Auckland-based national carrier. In 2003, he made the wise move of applying to join the Airbus fleet. Air Malta was now enamoured with the Toulouse twinjet and was slowly beginning to phase out its Boeing fleet.

Despite describing himself as a Boeing man, once his Airbus type-rating was complete he soon realised this was nothing short of a quantum leap in technology and philosophy from the B737-200Adv. The fly-by-wire technology was light years ahead of what Boeing had in their -200Adv and 737 Classic models. Captain Joseph M Farrugia who at the time was A320 Chief Pilot and Type-Rating Examiner, signed him off as a captain in 2008. This was an accomplishment that understandably Captain Burlo looks back at with great pride and joy.

We asked Captain Burlo, if he ever had a scare or two during his remarkable career at KM. He revealed how on New Year’s Eve in late 2022, he had a bird strike while on the climb out from Berlin Brandenburg airport. The birds damaged the number one engine, and he was left with few options other than that of returning to the field, where he performed a flawless overweight landing as he nursed the stricken A320 back to earth. A pilot’s job needs dedication, discipline, lots of study but most importantly great support from loved ones. He attributed his successful career as an aviator to his wife Melita, who provided tremendous support, eventually reaching its culmination in his promotion to the left-hand seat in 2008.