On Saturday, Roderick Abela – secretary of the Aero Club Malta in Birkirkara – wrote about the unfeasibility of the Gozo airstrip in the sea idea – as proposed by Fr Mark Cauchi – and once again put forward the idea of an extension to the present heliport. When I first came to Gozo I fell in love with the island because of its peace and tranquillity, which translates as no noisy planes taking off and landing all day. Now people seem determined to destroy that peace and tranquillity, along with more of the ever-diminishing environment on the little island.
The ‘effective and feasible compromise between sustainable development and environmental considerations’, which Roderick Abela alluded to, only comes into play in a situation where it is imperative that an airstrip is built. This, however, is not the case in Gozo. He goes on to mention not just transfer aircraft from Malta International Airport but also ‘International’ flights. As if that isn’t bad enough, he neglects to mention the hordes of smaller private aircraft, which would be buzzing around like a swarm of hornets.
And who exactly needs this airstrip? In a nutshell: the privileged few who can afford to use it. As for the pie in the sky figures supplied by Mr Abela, they are just that, pie in the sky. He talks about a small airline employing 39 persons based on Gozo and operating three 19 seat DHC-6 Twin Otter aircraft with the potential to transport 83,000 passengers annually between Malta and Gozo plus another 74,000 passengers to “international” destinations.
Does he really believe that 227 passengers a day would be fighting to get on a transfer flight from Malta to Gozo? This would mean 12 flights a day if we assume that all the 19 seat aircraft would be full. That, however, would either mean that some incoming passengers would have to wait until all the seats had been taken or the necessity to put on even more flights.
According to Mr Abela, however, this small airline would also have to contend with another 11 flights catering for international destinations, again assuming that all the seats are filled. So since all the aircraft which leave have to return we are looking at something in the region of 50 take-offs and landings a day from a little island measuring about nine by four miles, without taking into account all the private traffic. So much for peace and tranquillity and an eco-Gozo concept!
I doubt the majority of Gozitans would want this disruption on their little island, and speaking as a tourist I know I certainly wouldn’t. Enough of Gozo has been destroyed already without contemplating even more. If you destroy the one thing that people come to the island for – peace and quiet – whom exactly will you have left to transfer?
Any comments?
If you wish your comments to be published in our Letters pages please click button below. Please write a contact number and a postal address where you may be contacted.
Search:
MALTATODAY
BUSINESSTODAY
Download MaltaToday Sunday issue front page in pdf file format
All the interviews from Reporter on MaltaToday's YouTube channel.
