Travel & Tourism
Malta-Gozo air link to be restored with seaplane
By MaltaMedia News
Jan 16, 2007 - 10:13:12 AM

The air link between Malta and Gozo is to be restored by May 2007, with a DeHavilland Single Otter seaplane operated by a Maltese-Canadian Company. Last October, the air link between the two islands was broken when Spanish helicopter service providers Helisureste ended their flights.

The 14-passenger seaplane will operate the service from Grand Harbour to Mgarr, a mere 10-minute journey, up to 13 times a day, reported The Times of Malta.

The aircraft, which can land in water as well as on land, will touch down just outside Mgarr Harbour and then taxi in. The company is negotiating with the Malta Maritime Authority (MMA) and the Ministry of Gozo to locate a suitable mooring spot for the floatplane.

The service will only be hampered by "extreme" weather conditions, such as south-westerly winds, sources told the newspaper.

A free courtesy shuttle bus will operate from the airport to Grand Harbour and back, while plans to offer scenic tours around Malta and Gozo and target cruise liner passengers are underway.

The project was originally meant to get off the ground last May but the summer deadline was missed and the proprietors decided to postpone the project.

Soon after it was revealed that Helisureste was to close down its operations in Malta, a number of fixed wing light aircraft companies expressed their interest in re-establishing the air link. Helisureste had been operating a 24 hours service on a 13-seater helicopter from the Heliport in Għajnsielem to Malta International Airport. Although the company targeted to carry 40,000 passengers per year by the end of 2006, there was a low take-up. Trips were reportedly cancelled at the last minute, with return tickets costing up to Lm50.

Helisureste had been operating the service since March 2005, after the previous operator, Malta Aircharter, closed its business six months earlier.

See GozoWeather.com for the latest live weather reports from various locations around the Gozitan island, as well as a 5-day weather forecast.

See images of Gozo and Comino in 19 albums offering a spectacular virtual tour of the northern Maltese Islands at ImagaineGozo.com.