Roderick Abela, secretary, Aero Club Malta, Birkirkara
Airstrip in the sea is unfeasible
Unfortunately, Franco Scicluna has been left alone to promote the development of an airstrip on Gozo because all those persons, associations, clubs etc. who, like him, believe that a small 800-metre airstrip is beneficial to the well-being of Gozitans, their visitors and their exports, are simply throwing in the towel, tired of fighting the bureaucratic establishment and inconclusive reports prepared by so-called "experts".
Then comes divine intervention in the form of a short contribution by Fr Mark Cauchi (September 29) proposing the construction of an airstrip on the sea at Marsalforn. According to Fr Cauchi the problem can be solved "quite easily" but his suggestion is not as simple as he seems to believe and presents enormous engineering and financial challenges.
First of all he chose the wrong model to copy - (RAF) Gibraltar. The truth is that only about 2,000 feet of the 6,000-foot runway is built on reclaimed land from the relatively shallow sea while the original 4,000 feet of runway was hewn out of solid rock when the airfield was built in 1939. The classic example of an airport entirely constructed on reclaimed land is the famous Kansai International Airport in Japan, which is a multi-billion dollar project built over a period spanning almost 10 years. It is one of the most challenging engineering projects the world has ever seen during the past 50 years, and, notwithstanding the technical competence of Japanese engineers, it suffers from a relatively worrying rate of sink that has to be monitored by computers.
The cost to build an airstrip on reclaimed land north of Marsalforn Bay will be astronomical. It has to be realised that even a relatively short 800 by 25 metre runway strip would require a two-kilometre perimeter sea wall (up to five metres above sea level) made of reinforced concrete down to depths averaging 15 metres.
This sea wall would be even longer than the famous Malta Freeport breakwater and would require something like 80,000 cubic metres of salt-resistant, steel reinforced concrete plus two million cubic metres of backfill aggregate.
To increase the stability of the tarmac runway, a sub base platform would need to be laid consuming something like 16,000 cubic metres of concrete. Apart from the runway, land has to be reclaimed to provide space for an apron, maintenance hangar, fuel depot, taxiways, terminal with fire station, car park and the causeway to the mainland! A rough guess estimate for a small regional airstrip built entirely on reclaimed land north of Marsalforn Bay would be delivered with a price tag of about €30 million and at least five years to complete.
Although it might be tempting to include in the argument the fact that the reclaimed strip of land would also act as a breakwater, transforming Marsalforn Bay into an all-weather marina for nearly 1,000 yachts, the cost in money terms and the adverse environmental impact on the seascape would probably never justify such a massive capital project.
On the other hand, the proposed solution in the form of an 800-metre airstrip at Ta' Lambert using much of the existing infrastructure of the defunct heliport provides the most effective and feasible compromise between sustainable development and environmental considerations. Forecasts prepared by Aero Club Malta reveal that a small airline employing 39 persons based on Gozo and operating three 19 seat DHC-6 Twin Otter aircraft has the potential to transport 83,000 passengers annually between Malta and Gozo plus another 74,000 passengers to "international" destinations.
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Rod Abela
Oct 6th 2009, 19:44
@James Tyrrell. Jim that's what I think I said - the The Times had reported that Roy was giving up..actually he was forced to move aside because of more urgent matters that needed his full attention. But he is back.
I totally agree with you when you say that the ultimate decision should rest with the Gozitans - leaving both you and me out of the equation. I have no problem with that even though I think I still have the right to discuss the issue and propose solutions. Personally I stand nothing to gain except for the occasional landing in my own ultralight aircraft....and if there is no airstrip it's no problem...I can extend my flight by 60 miles and land at Marina di Ragusa where I can enjoy cheap lunch and be back in Malta before nightfall.
The idea of an Eco Gozo comes too late! It will not be a properly landscaped airstrip (NOT AIRPORT) that will add to Gozo's environmental problems...the rape of Gozo takes the form of claustrophobic apartments, bizarre traffic flows, dirty bays, etc etc
James A. Tyrrell
Oct 5th 2009, 21:01
@Rod Abela. Actually Rod it was Roy who stated that he had given up, the press just printed it. At the end of the day it will be the people who will decide on the matter, not some Government department. And by the way I'm referring to the Gozitan people as I fail to see why anyone from Malta should have a say in the matter. After all it is the people of Gozo who would have to live with the damned thing if it was built. How does the further destruction of the island fit in with the eco Gozo concept? Don't forget to put that question to the various Government departments Roy.
Rod Abela
Oct 5th 2009, 17:10
@Roy
Nice to see you back in the fray...some weeks ago a section of the printed media reported with a lot of prominence that you had given up!
K. Vella
Oct 5th 2009, 14:04
What's the point of going to Gozo without a car if the bus network is of no practical use?
Roy Perry
Oct 5th 2009, 10:07
I have been away and unable to respond until now. It is simply untrue to say that the proponents of the idea have given up - just because there is little in the media. We are ALL in contact with the various Government departments who are looking into our ideas. The DCA, OPM, MCSSA etc.
M. Zammit
Oct 4th 2009, 04:19
I think we fail to assess real needs when making proposals that will have an effect on the environment and our way of living. We are short-sighted in our proposals and might only have a vested interest not the common good and not sustainability.
So this airstrip is intended for 19 Gozitans who wish to go to Catania!!! Conclusion - there is no need for an airstrip. Unfortunately some of us Maltese are only motivated by greed and sometimes, unfortunately, our authorities succumb to the pressures of greed.
Gozo is being ruined by over-development TODAY! Who would want to go to Gozo, if Gozo is just another concrete jungle?
James A. Tyrrell
Oct 3rd 2009, 23:36
@Rod Abela. Rod I'm a tourist, one of the people in whose name the continuing rape of the island of Gozo is being carried out. There is absolutely nothing you or anyone else can say that will convince me that the further destruction of the island is necessary. And please don't come back with the usual really short extension to the present runway or landing on the road rubbish. What we are talking about here Rod is noise.
I don't come to Gozo to listen to planes taking off and landing all day. I come for the peace and quiet. I don't know what other way to say it to make you understand. I like the isolation of the island, that's why I come. Build a bloody airport and I can assure you I will be looking for somewhere else to holiday along with many others.
I don't know what makes you think it is so important to have an airstrip in your back yard anyway. When I come to Gozo, as I will be doing in a few weeks time, I face a two-hour drive just to get to the airport!
Rod Abela
Oct 3rd 2009, 20:48
Hi James..I never meant to hide anything about the 1994 passenger figures I just wanted to show the potential of the domestic route.... there are many reasons why the operation subsequently failed (I do not have the space here to discuss them all)..but you will surely know that helicopter operations are at least three times more expensive than fixed wing ops.
The success of the domestic service is also dependent on the pari passu development of a short range regional network with flights to say Catania, Palermo, Ragusa, Tunis, Reggio C, etc that will financially support the domestic route and spread the capital cost of the aircraft (purchased or leased does not matter) on a higher number of flying hours - remember planes earn money while in the air not on the ground (vide Ryanair example).. Do you really have doubts that you will not find 19 Gozitans ready to fly to Catania etc direct saving them the hassle to do it via a fully fledged international flight from Luqa? Apart from making it easier for say Sicilians to travel direct to Gozo?
James A. Tyrrell
Oct 3rd 2009, 19:51
@Rod Abela. You fail to mention Rod that this was in fact a peak figure. The actual average numbers were 30,000 to 40,000 a year. You also fail to point out that the operation became unsustainable for the Air Malta Group as the demand for the service declined and never managed to reach adequate levels. What's changed?
Franco Farrugia
Oct 3rd 2009, 17:51
@ Galea L: Something wrong with my opinions today - you've agreed twice with me. Hmmm! (Tongue-in-cheek)
Rod Abela
Oct 3rd 2009, 17:37
FYI - In 1994, fifteen years ago, using two tired Mil-8 helicopters Malta Air Charter carried 64,000 passengers...pie in the sky Jimmy?
Galea. L
Oct 3rd 2009, 14:00
Franco Farrugia
Agree with you.
M. Zammit
Oct 3rd 2009, 13:58
May I ask what the cost per seat on these proposed aircraft will be? Would it be affordable to the gozitan workers? If not, who will be using these aircrafts exactly? Phantoms?
James A. Tyrrell
Oct 3rd 2009, 13:48
Part 2
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 9 miles by 4 miles without taking into account all the private traffic. So much for peace and tranquillity and an eco Gozo concept!
I doubt if the majority of Gozitan people 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 to transfer?
James A. Tyrrell
Oct 3rd 2009, 13:47
Part 1
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 alludes to, only comes into play in a situation where it is imperative that an airstrip is built. This however is not the case on 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. Does he really believe that 227 passengers a day would be fighting to get on a transfer flight from Malta to Gozo?
Franco Farrugia
Oct 3rd 2009, 10:50
An airstrip in Gozo would signal the end of the lovely island as we all know it. Only those individuals who have a lot to gain from it, or so they think, are in favour of it.
And Mr Abela has no reason to ridicult Fr Mark Cauchi - the good father was only giving his two cents' worth! Or doesn't he have a right as much as Mr Abela to voice his opinion?
I suggest that we, grown-ups, stop playing around with planes and trains and do more to protect the little environment that we have left.