James Debono
Joseph Muscat’s Labour party is actively considering an airstrip in Gozo for fixed-wing aircraft as an option to improve connectivity between the two islands.
Stopping the application for the Gozo airstrip was one of Alfred Sant’s first decisions as prime minister in 1996, after withdrawing the country from NATO’s Partnership for Peace programme.
Now, a Labour government led by Muscat is promising to do the opposite. “The development of an airstrip is one of the options a Labour government would consider to ensure better connectivity between Malta and Gozo,” Labour spokesperson for planning Roderick Galdes told MaltaToday. While pandering to business lobbies who have long championed the need for the airstrip, in a bid not to alienate environmentalists – Galdes qualified his party’s stand by adding that any decision will take into account “economic, social and environmental considerations” and such “limitations and variables”.
Ironically, it was the Labour Party that first proposed an airstrip in Gozo in its 1987 electoral manifesto. But in the mid-1990s, it was the Nationalist government which called for the development of an airstrip on agricultural land next to the Ta’ Lambert heliport, amid protests led by Alternattiva Demokratika and environmental NGOs.
After being dropped by Alfred Sant upon becoming prime minister, the project was abandoned by Eddie Fenech Adami in 1998.
While not excluding the project completely, a spokesperson for the parliamentary secretary responsible for both tourism and the environment Mario De Marco raised doubts on its sustainability. “There needs to be a proper analysis on whether an airstrip would be sustainable, even in view of the fact that previous experience of various private operators with the helipad has shown that it might not be economically feasible to run.”
The government also would make a cost-benefit analysis of the airstrip’s impact on the environment. Apart from the inevitable loss of countryside, other environmental considerations are the eventual increase in greenhouse gas emissions and noise pollution. “One also needs to consider whether an airstrip in Gozo and enhanced accessibility can actually impact negatively the perception of the island that lures tourists to it.”
One major obstacle to the project is the presence of archeological remains in the vicinity of Ta’ Lambert, which are however compromised by illegal dumping. According to a study by the Museums Department in the mid-1990s, an archaeological assessment of the land earmarked for the airstrip proved “virtually impossible.”
The Superintendence for Cultural Heritage has called for an environment impact assessment if an application to extend the Ta’ Lambert airstrip in Gozo is presented.
The airstrip is actually considered as part of the Gozo-Comino local plan, but investigations must be carried out on the development’s impact before any decision is taken. MEPA will have to assist government in drafting the terms of reference for a study, that has to explore alternatives to a hard runway, for example the use of a seaplane.
It also states that no concrete evidence exists to demonstrate that a fixed wing service would be viable.
And despite the impression given by business lobbies that Gozitans are desperate for an airstrip, a MaltaToday survey conducted in July 2006 showed that the islanders are equally divided on whether an airport should be developed to link the two islands by air. jdebono@mediatoday.com.mt
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
The flippancy of the Justice and Home Affairs Ministry in its reaction to MaltaToday’s front-page revelation last Wednesday, of the suicide of a British inmate at Corradino Correctional Facility has betrayed the prevalent attitude of government towards the media, and its disregard for the serious conditions inside Division 6..>>
INTERVIEW
Reform now, or never Nationalist backbencher and family doctor STEPHEN SPITERI hedges his bets on the upcoming primary health reform as the only way the public health system can rid itself of its current problems.>>
