At a Gozo Business Chamber meeting held at the Calypso Hotel in Marsalforn, then Opposition leader Joseph Muscat had said having an adequate link between Gozo and Malta was important.
“We know you want an airstrip but we do not feel this is a priority and instead will consider a helicopter service and a fast ferry service between Mgarr and Valletta," Dr Muscat had told the Chamber.
He also pledged that studies on the creation of a tunnel link between the two islands will continue.
Yet, at a consultation meeting held in July 2013, a few months after the election, the Tourism Ministry announced that the government is considering a new 400m or 650m airstrip in Gozo, at an angle adjacent to the existing airstrip, to be used by private operators offering transfers from the Luqa airport in Malta and perhaps also flights to neighbouring countries, as well as by flying schools. An additional helipad is also being considered, to free up the existing 180m runway for ultra-light planes.
In its electoral manifesto the Labour Party had pledged that if it were elected to government, which indeed it was, it would examine the possibility of an efficient and sustainable helicopter.
In the past, companies operating the helicopter service between Gozo and Malta have suffered more than hiccups. The service was operated by Spanish-owned Helisureste between 2 March, 2005 and October 2006, when Helisureste stopped its service after incurring heavy losses, taking over the previous operator, Malta Aircharter,
which closed down six months earlier. In 2008 a number of companies had expressed interest in operating a helicopter service between Malta and Gozo. In September 2009, a Gozo helicopter service permit was granted to Eagle Heli Tours. The landing permit issued by the authorities enabled the company to operate ad hoc helicopter flights between Malta and Gozo from Malta International Airport to the Gozo Heliport.
However by summer of 2010, the UK-registered company quietly packed its gear and closed its Malta office.
Accessibility between Malta and Gozo
According to the Tourism Ministry, the government is currently evaluating, and working on all possible options towards the strengthening of accessibility and connectivity between the two islands (including the possibility of an efficient, reliable and sustainable helicopter service) which would increase the island’s competitiveness and ensure more jobs for Gozitans in Gozo.
“The Ministry for Tourism, responsible for the aviation sector, along with the Ministry for Gozo and other entities, are in the process of conducting relevant studies on the possibility of having an airstrip in Gozo.
“Consequently, at this early stage, there is absolutely no room for assumptions on contract awarding or preferred bids,” the ministry said.
This reply comes after this media house asked the ministry if, in the event that the airstrip proposal is put into practice, whether the government will award the contract to Malta International Airport, or will issue an expressions of interest.
As for MIA, the government has not yet approached it to discuss the possibility as yet.
“Malta International Airport can confirm that there is no agreement with the government in relation to the management of the Gozo airstrip.
“We also can confirm that there have been no discussions in this regard either,” an MIA spokesman said.
What is the position of the Gozo Tourism Association?
GTA CEO Joe Muscat said that since the inception of the GTA, the position of the association has always been in favour of an airlink between Malta and Gozo.
“Such a link will minimise the transfer time between the Malta airport and Gozo, while it will offer a more convenient transfer to in/out bound tourists visiting Gozo.
“Such a link will also offer a competitive price option to cross over to and from Gozo. “Furthermore such a facility will open up other possible links between Gozo and other neighbouring islands, thus enhancing direct connectivity to the island.”
The fact that the prime minister had fielded the idea of another helicopter service, this time more reliable, has raised questions since, as mentioned earlier, past helicopter services did not ‘lift off the ground’ too well.
On this issue, the GTA said: “In the past an air link was provided by means of a helicopter once run by an Airmalta subsidiary and more recently it was run by a Spanish private company. Yet both operations with different aircraft were not financially feasible due to the fact that a helicopter connection is very expensive to maintain, thus resulting in high seat fares.”
It is in this regard that the GTA has been harping for the development of an airstrip capable to accommodate a propeller aircraft with 20 seats.
“Such an operation is far less expensive to run and therefore it will be financially feasible resulting in competitive air fares that can be availed off by both the tourists as well as the locals.”
When asked of the GTA feels that the running of the airstrip should be managed by MIA or if an expression of interest should be issued, the GTA said it is in favour of both options as long as there is a professional management of the Gozo airstrip facility.
“Obviously such an infrastructure should be run by competent people who are knowledgeable about this type of business.
“On the other hand the GTA feels that the ideal situation for the management of such an airstrip will be a public private partnership, ensuring a synergised input by committed and interested parties together along with the government, thus rendering the air link between both islands a consistent, sustainable and a viable connectivity option.”