Alfred Sant hits out at Gozo airfield project

Former Prime Minister Alfred Sant has written against the proposed Gozo airfield project.Plans for an expanded airfield in Gozo last week were given the thumbs up from the Planning Authority's Board. A government statement said that the project, prop

By: independent.com.mt

Oct 14 2024
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Alfred Sant hits out at Gozo a

Former Prime Minister Alfred Sant has written against the proposed Gozo airfield project.

Plans for an expanded airfield in Gozo last week were given the thumbs up from the Planning Authority's Board. A government statement said that the project, proposed by the Gozo Ministry, was one of the electoral promises made by the Labour Party to improve connectivity between the islands. "We are looking at the project in a holistic way... in a bid to create new economic niches," Gozo Minister Clint Camilleri said after the approval.

Situated on around 77,000 square metres on the outskirts of Xewkija and incorporating land which currently includes the disused heliport, the proposal will see the runway extended to 455 metres in order to be suitable for the operation of small fixed wing aircraft and helicopters. The proposal was first made in 2022, and the government also intends to use the airport to set up an air connection between Malta and Gozo, and also facilitate various industries such as helicopter/light aircraft training, sightseeing flights, air ambulances, and other research and flight tests. The Gozo Business Chamber said that it positively notes the approval by the Planning Authority of the Gozo Rural Airfield.

In his weekly opinion article published in this newspaper, former Prime Minister Alfred Sant has questioned the proposal. "The worst thing in life is not to commit mistakes but to go on repeating them. Governmental authorities and the representatives of the private sector in Gozo are marching down this road. It appears that they have learnt nothing from the problems of Gozo Channel, the helicopter service and the fast ferry project. At last, so it seems, they will get the airport they have long been dreaming about."

"They tell us that this project will improve the connectivity of Gozo as an island, and that it will upgrade Gozo's attractiveness for high quality tourists, without damaging the environment. What a mirage! It's as if with airplanes that can carry less than ten (?) passengers, connectivity will improve significantly and high quality tourists arrive in much greater numbers. It's as if the farmland to be taken up will not eventually increase in order to accomodate bigger airplanes and the businesses that will seek to ride piggyback on the project. It's as if the operator flying the planes (?) will not sooner rather than later fold up and the government will need to come to his rescue in order to avoid a total fiasco," Sant said.

See former Prime Minister Alfred Sant's full article here