The Malta Air Traffic Controllers' Association (MATCA) is the sole association that represents Maltese Air Traffic Controllers. MATCA is also a registered trade union and has 79 members including 57 licensed Air Traffic Controllers.

MATCA today is a member of the International Federation of Air Traffic Controllers (IFATCA) and of the Air Traffic Controllers European Union Coordination (ATCEUC).

In the early 1990s Maltese Air Traffic Controllers were showing an interest in forming a professional association and joining the International Federation of Air Traffic Controllers (IFATCA).

However at this time all Air Traffic Controllers were part of the Armed Forces Malta (AFM) and permission to form a professional association was denied. On 28 th February 1995 a protest was held by most controllers resulting in the closure of Malta International Airport and the Malta Flight Information Region for 24 hours.

Serious discussions with the authorities started immediately after this episode and government eventually gave permission for the formation of the Malta Air Traffic Controllers' Association (MATCA).

MATCA lost no time and in fact on 31 st March 1995 the association was accepted as a full member of IFATCA during its conference in Tel Aviv.

In the first few years of MATCA's as a professional association, it was only allowed to participate in limited discussions with the AFM, Department of Civil Aviation (DCA) and with the head of the Air Traffic Control Corps (ATCC - part of the 3 rd Regiment AFM).

However all this was to change, as on 1 st May 1998 the ATCC was demilitarized and the ATC in Malta became part of Malta International Airport plc (MIA). MATCA changed its constitution and applied to the Director of Labour to be registered as a Trade Union representing Air Traffic Controllers. MATCA was officially registered as a Trade Union in September 1998.

MATCA now started with the tasks of negotiating various issues, something that was not possible in the Army. The final aim was to negotiate a collective agreement for Air Traffic Controllers but this took a lot more time than originally anticipated.

Shortly after joining MIA, staff were informed that since MIA was going to be privatized, the government had decided to form a new company, Malta Air Traffic Services Ltd (MATS), which was to provide Air Traffic Services at Malta International Airport and to the airspace under the jurisdiction of Malta . MATS commenced operations on 1 st January 2002

Talks for the first collective agreement took more than a year. Negotiations were long and arduous, and a collective agreement was finally signed on 10 th April 2003 .