The Harbourair seaplane service began operations towards the end of July. The plane has become a recognisable feature in the sky as it ferries passengers too and from Gozo on a daily basis. Michael Carabott decided to take a trip on the aircraft to see what it’s all about and also caught up with Chief Pilot Darryl Hansen for a chat about the operation

Booomph… Booomph… You bob a bit, and before you know it you’re up in the air and banking hard left out of the Grand Harbour, going past the breakwater and heading for Portomaso.

The DeHavilland DHC-3 Turbine Single Otter is not quite as cramped as you would think. It can comfortably take its 14 passengers and payload over to Gozo in as little as 10 minutes.

Before your flight, you are given a safety briefing by the pilot, who in my case, was the extremely affable Canadian Joe Henderson. The bulbous windows of the aircraft make for some extreme photo opportunities as well.

The flight I took was a simple return from the Grand Harbour to Mgarr. The flight takes about 10 minutes, and for the duration, you fly over the sea with the left hand side being the best for sightseeing as the aircraft flies parallel to the coast. After exiting the harbour, the aircraft flies along Sliema front, then Exiles and onto Portomaso. Within minutes, you are going past Salina and on to St Paul’s Islands before the aircraft hooks over Comino. From there, the pilot lines up with the entrance to Mgarr Harbour and sets down before the breakwater. In our case, there was a slight swell left behind from a Gozo Channel vessel so Joe circled once, giving us a great view of Gozo and Comino, before setting the aircraft down. That’s it: 10 minutes and it’s done, you are at Mgarr Harbour.

On the way back, it was only Joe and myself in the aircraft, so he graciously allowed me to sit with him in the cockpit for the trip back. It is essentially the same thing done in reverse, but this time, I was too engrossed in taking photographs to really take notice where we were.

However, you must brace yourself for the landing at the Grand Harbour. Joe took a leisurely approach in, as the wind had been changing all afternoon. In the end, he opted for a straight in approach and flying in, lower than the bastions was quite an impressive experience to say the least. Again, before you know it, the aircraft is set down in the water and you are back at the Waterfront feeling somewhat dazed, but at the same time exhilarated. The plane is comfortable and feels sturdy. Once or twice, you might bounce about, but that is to be expected in a small single-engine aircraft. But all in all, it is a very pleasant flight. Even for those who might be apprehensive, the fact that you are flying low, in a float plane over water and that there is so much to see makes the short trip go very, very quickly.

Chief Pilot Darryl Hansen

Mr Hansen explained that on a good day, particularly when cruise ships are in the port, there can be anything up to five return Gozo trips and two or three scenic flights. He explained that the company’s operations were very much demand driven. “Some locals do use it, especially to take a scenic flight, but our really busy days are usually when cruise ships are in harbour,” he said.

The flights cost Lm15 plus VAT to Gozo each way and Lm30 + VAT for a 30-minute scenic trip around Malta and Gozo. The scenic trip, he explained, depends on traffic. “We normally go out of the Grand Harbour and head in towards Mosta, following on to the West Coast, near Dingli cliffs. We then head over to Comino, and I am still trying to locate the Ggantija ruins in Gozo,” he said. In fact, he then brought up Google Earth and picked my brains to try and find it. I though located it, so he took down the coordinates and vowed to find Ggantija next time he went up.

He said that the next step was to provide passengers with headphones so they can enjoy audio recordings of information related to the sites they see as they fly. He said that the Otter was a very durable aircraft, and this particular one received a lot of attention as the news of its destination spread. The plan actually flew out from Vancouver and flew the Great Circle route over Greenland, to Iceland, Scotland and then making its way down to Malta.

Mr Hansen explained that the biggest obstacle to operations was the lack of sheltered landing facilities in Gozo. “The Grand Harbour is no problem as it is always calm, but sometimes Mgarr can be choppy and we cannot land. As a result, we are applying for landing facilities in Xlendi and Marsalforn if the weather does not permit us to land at the ferry point,” he explained. He also said that if these permits are granted, the company would engage the services of a transport company to transport people around if an alternative landing site is needed.

He explained that aircraft maintenance is very important with checks being carried out every 50 and 100 flying hours. The aircraft will also be put through an extensive maintenance programme every 5,000 and 10,000 flying hours. He did not exclude the possibility of getting another aircraft to operate to Syracuse in Sicily in the future. “We are still getting our feet wet at this point, we will know more in the future,” he said.

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DeHavilland DHC-3 Turbine Single Otter

aircraft specifications:

The DeHavilland Single Otter aircraft is equipped with floats and wheels, making it a very versatile aircraft. It can take 14 passengers without luggage or nine and luggage. Their short take-off and landing capabilities, and gross weight performance, make them appealing especially for landing in water.

Length: 13.78m

Height: 3.76m

Wingspan: 17.44 m

Speed: 215 km

Maximum Operating Altitude: 3,000m

Power: 750 hp

Capacity: 10-14 passengers