James A. Tyrrell, County Antrim, Northern Ireland
What Gozo really needs to prosper
It appears the Gozo airstrip bandwagon is back in the press. It’s amazing the list of woes that have befallen Gozo since it lost its “viable and valuable air link”, a list of woes, which will, of course, all magically disappear once an airstrip has been built on the island.
The Gozo Airlink Group mentions daytrippers viewing Gozo from the top of a bus as if this were some sort of disease.
Don’t they realise that the buses stop in villages where the daytrippers walk around and usually spend money in the process? At the same time, does it not occur to them that day trippers are unlikely to pay for an air transfer to Gozo?
It would also be interesting to know in what way an airstrip on Gozo will halt the monolithic apartment blocks.
They say that a survey run by a University student shows that there is a demand for such an air link.
Did the student have access to costings and ask respondents whether they would be ready to pay handsomely for the service on a regular basis? No! Nor did they mention the fact that several surveys have been done in the past, all of which showed that any such air link would not be financially sustainable.
Next we have the feasibility study by aeronautical experts declaring that the project would help Gozo’s commercial and tourism sectors. This does not tally with the recent interviews of foreigners in Gozo who all declared that they go to Gozo for the peace and quiet while an airstrip means waving both peace, and these tourists, goodbye once the noise of aircraft landing every hour can be heard all over Gozo.
This group appears to resent the fact that the Malta Tourism Authority has called for a financial viability study to be carried out, seeing it as a waste of money. Do they really expect a government to commit to such a project in the hope that enough people use it to make it financially sustainable without having first studied the feasibility?
They then ask if it is going to take a change of government for the scheme to be launched. What exactly do they mean by that? Have they been in talks with the Labour Party already regarding the building of an airstrip? Has the Labour Party stated that if they gain power they would sanction such a project? I think the people of Gozo deserve an answer in that regard from the Labour Party.
Their idea that the government should simply ignore all past studies, build an airstrip and then hope that some airline will run a service shows their total disregard for the taxpayer and the island of Gozo. The economy of Calypso’s Isle does not depend on an airstrip. It depends on the Maltese government treating it with the respect it deserves and implementing business incentives to draw job-creating service companies to Gozo.
It depends on the government attracting today’s tourists by finally implementing the eco-Gozo policy that they have been trumpeting since the last election. The further scarring of the little island by an airstrip is totally against any eco-island policy in the same way as a marina at Ħondoq would be.
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joe vella
Sep 14th 2010, 00:54
if anyone could pl tell me and all the other Gozitans what benefit will there be for us normal taxpayers and workers from this blessed airstrip being so much touted as the be all and end all of the furture of Gozo? I have had this argument with ppl who should know better. The airstrip, in my humble opinion, the way it is being proposed would only be used by the select few who could afford their own plane and don t tell me that there would be no noise pollution; tell that to the ppl in Xewkija and GH Sielem with the constant droning maybe not each hour but at least twice a day hux?? To be competitive with the ferry service?? I personally might use the new air service if it ever got here most 4 times a year since I go abraod on business/holidays quite frequently but if I had to use the service more frequently I probably would not be able to afford it. So what benefit for Gozitans?? The select few who would use it would be so few that practically no positive increase in Gozo s economy would be really felt.
Paul Borg
Sep 13th 2010, 21:02
What Gozo needs is to be indipendent from the sister Island's resources. Be creative , attract more tourist , create more jobs, apply less for unemployment and Boarding out benefits, and stop complaining about Maltese as being rowdy tourists. Maybe you'll get there one day. As a last note, I am against the Bridge, against the strip, and against the ferry. Let Gozo prosper on it's own.
Franco J Scicluna
Sep 13th 2010, 19:53
Mr J A Tyrrell, it seems that you are the super know all and master of all that happens or needs to happen on Gozo.You of all people who do not even live here. Your comments always borders on sheer selfishness.Besides, your constant critisism of our authorities know no bounds. No local or anyone here for that matter has ever gone to such extremes in your country. You are entitled to your opinion but please dont forget you are a guest here.Your usual rehtoric about the air strip gives one the impression that you are the Lord of Gozo, dont you have enough problems in your far north country to attend to?
John Portelli
Sep 14th 2010, 02:17
Very well said. Some people who don't even live in Gozo wants to have their say on local issues that don't even concern them. Now, I hope those same foreigners will keep telling us what is good for us like we need to be lectured. Gozo needs an airstrip.
C.Agius
Sep 13th 2010, 12:52
and the same fate of the helipad.Spend spend spend - money is no problem. AT leastwe'll have something more to sell.
Charles Micallef
Sep 13th 2010, 11:48
The Gozo Aerodrome is a necessity for the Islands’ long term prosperity as was the Helicopter service when it was first introduced, with one major difference that small capacity commuter airliners cost a fraction of the cost to operate, hence reducing the price of the airfare as well as producing far less noise and pollution than the Helicopters, especially when comparing with the old Russian Mil Helicopters, so why is it that today’s objectors did not object then, and for some strange reason they now keep on harping about the environment and noise pollution.
Revel Barker
Sep 13th 2010, 11:15
Of all the arguments against an airstrip on Gozo, the daftest is that it would affect the "peace and quiet" of the island.
I know people say that Gozo is green and quiet. Those people have long memories.
Most modern aircraft make less noise than a Gozitan motorcycle or quad bike, and less than all those boy-racer cars with adapted exhausts.
Aircraft would interefere less with the peace and quiet of village life than street traders' vans, constantly barking dogs, "in-car" stereo systems and air horns,
We're already overflown frequently by the seaplane and by private aircraft (as we used to be overflown, in part of the island, by the helicopter) without anybody's peace being disturbed.
I doubt if a regular air service would run every hour - the helicopter service didn't - but it would need to be very noisy indeed to be heard above all the rest of the background clatter.
(And I haven't even mentioed petards...)
Astrid Vella
Sep 13th 2010, 19:57
This is the classic banal excuse.If a developer throws garbage in a field it's the perfect pretext to call it 'disturbed' and get a permit to build on it.If a building (or Freedom Square) is purposely neglected for years,it's the perfect excuse to redevelop it,saying "Anything is better than what there is" ignoring the fact that what the building or area has been allowed to degenerate for that very reason. If our islands are noisy,we should be remedying that,rather than adding more noise.The EU is already coming down hard on us for not providing our noise mapping commitment.I'm sure that in the coming years we will be obliged to decrease noise levels,so why aggravate a problem that we'll be facing so soon.This even calls into question the wisdom of investing in a helicopter service. Investment is in fact one of the main issues at play.Every official study over the last few years has pointed to the very limited market for a costly crossing. Certainly not Gozitan commuters, nor the bulk of Maltese or daytripper tourists. If the reports proved it viable there might be an argument, but ruining more countryside for a doomed enterprise would be really foolhardy.