“With the consultation period about an airport for Gozo lasting all of 22 days one can immediately conclude that this was not meant to be a serious exercise.”

This was stated by ADPD-The Green Party, spokespersons Dr Ralph Cassar and Luke Caruana, who have submitted the party’s responses to the impact statement presented by the Gozo Regional Development Authority (GRDA).

The ADPD spokespersons listed a number of reasons why they said an airport for Gozo “did not make sense,” including:

1. “The airport will take up the space equivalent to 11 football grounds. On top of all the unbridled development taking place on this island with the blessing of the authorities, further urbanisation and development is simply unacceptable.

2. It is utterly irresponsible for the authorities to let the area be smothered in construction waste over the years and now use it as an excuse to justify building an airport on the site. The debris can always be removed and the site rehabilitated as an open space.

3. The fact that the project’s economic viability is not sound from the outset means that there will pressure down the line for it to be extended. Similar to the tunnel proposal, the short distances prevailing from the Malta International Airport to Gozo (35km along the main roads) render this project as simply one of prestige without any justification. One can always improve existing transportation methods who can easily absorb any additional passengers on light aircraft. Current fast ferry services from Valletta could be extended to other harbours.

4. It is simply untrue that it will only take 15 minutes to get to Gozo – those already in Malta will need to travel to the airport first and even those incoming from abroad will need to wait for the transfer. The financial value given to the time saved from travelling does not take into consideration other travelling required to and from the airport. It also does not value other means of communication that may be used – such as virtual meetings software and computing and telecommunication systems – that have become basic business set ups nowadays.

5. The mention of direct flights to Gozo from Sicily and other islands raise a red flag indicating that this project is not really aimed to assist Gozitan or Maltese workers and commuters but targets tourism, which is already well catered for by the Malta International Airport. There is no need for tourists to fly directly into their destination, especially considering the extremely short distances between the two islands and the attraction of the boat trip to Gozo itself.

6. All transportation methods can be negatively affected by adverse weather conditions including light aircraft.

7. When it comes to employment, the estimated increase of 48 jobs do not justify the destruction brought about by this project. Even when it comes to the added value to the tourism industry, it is only estimated that this will lead to an additional 5 full time jobs only!

8. The baseless calculations on the reduction in emissions assume that carbon dioxide pricing will remain low and that the current aviation model for short distance travelling will remain acceptable with the European Union at a time of a climate emergency. It is a known fact that aviation emissions are even greater than those of vehicles.

At a time when both within the European Union and across the world discussions are ongoing about the impact of aviation on climate change, the ADPD – The Green Party spokespersons stated that it was “ironic that the Maltese government is putting forward an airport proposal – one that is definitely not needed.”

They argued that, “there is a wide abyss between the declarations in favour of a better quality of life and improved environment and the lack of vision shown in actual fact.”

“The question remains: who is really going to benefit from this Gozo airport?”

Permalink: Gozo Airport, is “more destruction for the benefit of the few” – ADPD