There has been no airfield on the Maltese island of Gozo since the end of the Second World War. The heliport has an ultra-short runway (120 meters), but - apart from helicopters - it is unsuitable for almost all aircraft. Now the runway extension is getting new momentum and could lead to a new flight connection between Malta and Gozo.

MaviO News reports, citing reliable sources, that the Gozo runway issue was discussed at cabinet level. After intensive discussions, a consensus was reached for this project to get the green light by extending the current helipad from 120 m to 450 m. This will allow microlights and other light aircraft to use another gateway to Gozo.

It will also ease the pressure on Malta International Airport for training purposes and could help give a much-needed boost to the local general aviation community. Since the 1970s there have been attempts to establish a flight connection between Luqa and Gozo. However, despite the best of intentions, all of these initiatives failed.

With Cabinet nodding in the affirmative, this is probably the best chance Gozo has got a runway since World War II. The helicopter services between Luqa and Gozo Heliport were given up many years ago. Currently, the heliport is just a shadow of itself, as is one Photo report from Aviation Direct shows.

This post was written by: MaviO News