As the debate regarding the proposed Malta to Gozo tunnel is still very much alive, I thought I would take the opportunity to add a few points of my own.

Firstly, has the cost of the tunnelling been taken into account? It will be extremely expensive to complete and operate and what needs to be considered is that not one tunnel but three would be needed (one going, one coming back and a service tunnel).

However, on the plus side, Malta can form another island with the soil and earth dug out, so property developers would be able to build more unused, unwanted apartments. I know this sounds flippant but so much dug-out debris needs to be placed somewhere.

At the moment, we already have a very good ferry service that is cheap and regular. Unfortunately, it does get very crowded, especially where vehicles are concerned, sometimes leading to substantial delays.

The seaplane, which I have used three times, is very good and gives brilliant aerial views of the islands. This option is a bit expensive and may not be affordable to the average commuter.

My proposal would be to utilise a hovercraft, the same as used in the Solent, in the UK, linking Portsmouth and the Isle of Wight. It is a very efficient service, fast (only taking 10 minutes in the UK), possibly five minutes to Gozo, and could be well within the commuters’ financial means. It would be less expensive than a tunnel to implement a hovercraft as there is no need for construction work, only a flat area of concrete to enable embarkation and disembarkation.