The highly anticipated termination of the Gozo-Malta air services offered by Spanish consortium Helicopteros de Sureste has arrived. The service came to an end last Tuesday.

Destiny has seemingly chosen this day to seal off Gozo. On the night of October 30-31, 1948, the Gozo-Malta channel claimed the lives of 23 Gozitans in the worst recorded tragedy in Malta in peacetime. They were trying to cross to Gozo after a week's work in Malta on a fishing boat, after the haphazard crossings operated by the ferry services at the time were cancelled.

It was on October 31, 2004, that Malta Air Charter, a subsidiary of Air Malta, ceased operating a regular helicopter service between the islands. The service had been running relatively smoothly since June 1990. However, Malta Air Charter had accumulated losses of Lm1.4 million and decided to call it a day.

The government, not without fanfare, had announced that several foreign companies were interested in taking up the service. The choice fell on Helicopteros de Sureste, which began to operate a service on March 21 last year.

Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi, who presided over the inauguration, was then quoted by The Times as saying that Government was determined to assist Gozo in every possible way in the development of its several commercial sectors, including its development as a tourism destination.

This is why, he pointed out, Government took an important decision to guarantee a quality air transport service between the two islands, which would have high levels of security and would be competitive for the benefit of Gozitans, Maltese, and tourists.

The Spanish company operated with one helicopter, which could take a maximum of 13 passengers - one half the capacity of the previous helicopters. The addition of another helicopter, increasing the number of flights, or employing a larger helicopter if the demand arose, was being considered. It had also promised an average of 20 flights a day in summer and eight daily flights in winter.

However, the new fares were prohibitive. At that time, this commentary had predicted that "the new passenger ticket is hardly feasible and that these costly tickets could lead to the winding-up of the service in a short time."

Time has proved us right. For the past 18 months, flights were cancelled arbitrarily, backed by trivial excuses - maintenance, bad weather, no bookings and so on. The number of flights was decreased and this made it more difficult for potential passengers to find the right connection to international flights. The number of passengers decreased drastically.

It is indeed pathetic that the service came to an end on the same day that the low-cost airline Ryanair started its flights to and from Malta. Government has showered direct or indirect subsidies to the tune of Lm1 million to make the operation of these airlines from Malta International Airport viable.

The government, however, did not deem it fit to subsidise the Gozo-Malta air services further. Strangely enough, some weeks ago, the Gozo Tourist Association praised Government for introducing low-cost airlines without encouraging it to subsidise the Gozo-Malta air services on an equal footing.

However, it is well-known that no long-term helicopter service is viable. Gozo needs an extension of the helipad to make it possible for fixed-wing aircraft to land in Gozo. These are more commercially viable and trips can be offered to the travelling public at a much more reasonable price than an equivalent service by helicopter.

Last Tuesday, the Gozo-Malta transport services were moved 16 years backwards.