The Gozo Tourism Association council members were astounded at the way the news about the new seaplane service from Grand Harbour to Gozo was launched. In no way can this new “service” be described as replacing the previous air-link between Malta and Gozo formerly operated by helicopter, the association said in a statement.

The main aim of the operating company, “Harbour Air Malta Ltd” seems “to offer a new flying experience in a safe, professional and efficient manner in order to make a memorable experience for those making use of this service”. Moreover the company aims to “organise aerial sight seeing trips of the Maltese archipelago”.

At no instance was any reference made to any service specifically for Gozo, the Gozitans or any industry in Gozo, GTA objected.

This looks from the outset as a new venture by a company whose main aim is to realise the profit-making projections of its marketing plan. Offering a memorable experience does not imply that it will be offering the service to workers who have to cross over to Malta everyday, or to tourists and Gozitan travellers departing or arriving in Gozo.

Moreover, the hurdles posed by the weather, particularly by the winds mentioned, are being rather minimised when described as “the sole hurdle” considering that not one wind-direction but three were described as causing schedule interruptions.

This makes one deduce that in all probability this will end up as a seasonal or frequently interrupted “service” rather than an all-year-round air-link. Furthermore, since this service is so dependent on weather conditions, it cannot be sold on a prebooking system especially for packaged holidays.

Consequently, the GTA council would like to reiterate what it has been saying ever since it was established. The Maltese authorities should seriously consider a safe reliable and consistent air-link between Malta and Gozo.

Consistency and reliability are two fundamental issues of any service offering accessibility especially when one uses them to market the island as an all-year-round tourist destination. The introduction of the helicopter service had been a step in the right direction way back in the early 1990’s... The enhancement of this service over the years was yet another demonstration of goodwill and acknowledgement of the importance of this service to Gozo.

Let us not go back on what we had attained. The authorities concerned should seriously consider feasible, dependable and consistent air accessibility. Private ventures cannot be deterred if they do not pose any danger to people or environment, however they should not be allowed to replace or divert attention from real issues.

Gozo deserves a sustainable all weather, all year round air link that can only be possible with the introduction of a fixed wing operation. The longer the decision is dragged the more harm is being inflicted on the tourism industry on Gozo, GTA said.