Seaplane ready for take off

The seaplane service - linking the Grand Harbour to Mgarr - will start operating between July 15 and 20 pending certification by the Department of Civil Aviation.

The aircraft touched down in the water at the Valletta Waterfront in Grand Harbour for the first time yesterday afternoon.

Operated by Canadian company Harbour Air Seaplanes, the aircraft is initially planning to run five round trips a day from the Waterfront to Mgarr harbour. Flying time is around 20 minutes.

The aircraft will be landing outside the harbours and taxiing in like a boat to moor alongside a pontoon. The 14 passengers will pay Lm15 for a one-way trip.

A floating pontoon has been placed along the quay at the Valletta Waterfront. In Gozo the terminal is situated at Mgarr Harbour inside the marina on pontoon F.

The project will replace a private helicopter service to Gozo, which ceased operations because the service was not financially viable.

A number of fixed-wing light aircraft companies have since expressed their interest in re-establishing the air link to Gozo but, in an island of 26 square miles, the extension of the airstrip has always been a bone of contention for environmentalists.