The government has no immediate plans to introduce an air link between Malta International Airport and Gozo, Finance Minister Tonio Fenech has said.

A seaplane currently provides an air link to Mgarr, Gozo from Grand Harbour. The service was introduced in September last year by Harbourair Seaplanes using a DeHavilland DHC-3 Single Otter seaplane.

Joe Muscat, secretary of the Gozo Tourism Association said that for the association, the link between Grand Harbour and Mgarr was not a substitute to an air link between the airport and Gozo, which, he said, was what was needed for more tourists to fly to Gozo.

He said the association was calling for a fixed wing operation from the airport to Gozo. Two helicopter operations had turned out not to be viable, and the association felt that a service should therefore be operated by a small aircraft, carrying up to 24 passengers.

Mr Muscat said the operation of a fixed wing aircraft would require a small airstrip, but in view of environmental concerns, the association was proposing that the secondary road behind the heliport linking Ghajnsielem to Xewkija could be developed for this purpose.The road would continue be used for ordinary traffic but be closed for vehicles while aircraft were operating.

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