Incompetence or ulterior motives

Allow me to express my disgust at the turn things have taken regarding the runway closure. I think that two massive and monumental blunders have occurred. The first is of a purely journalistic nature. In the first article, while the names of the Zebbug feasts were thrown in, no one bothered to ask and publish the opinion or version of the organisers of these feasts.

Also, while the parsimonious version of Alitalia was given great prominence, I missed that of other just as prestigious and even more patronised operators like Air Malta, British Airways, Lufthansa, etc. How is that for journalism? This shows either lack of thoroughness or ulterior motives. The journalist too did not ask DCA some pertinent questions whose answers could have provided more clarifications, such as:

Was the DCA decision taken as a result of an investigation?

Did any kind of serious or less serious investigation take place after the pilot's report either in Air Malta or anywhere else regarding the Zebbug feasts and those of the other villages lying all around the airport and along its approaches?

How "close" does a close encounter between an aircraft and a petard have to be to pose danger?

Was this encounter "that" close?

Was the aircraft always in the correct line of flight (approach and altitude) during its approach, considering the fact that the St Philip fireworks have been let off from the same field for decades and no encounters, close or otherwise, were ever reported by any airline?

Considering the fact that such a close encounter had the potential to leave hundreds if not thousands of victims, how come the public never knew anything until the eve of St Joseph's feast?

How or through which channels did the pilot's report reach DCA? Through the control tower? Through Air Malta?

What is going on up there at the DCA?

Could this all have been a ploy used as a justification for future measures that would have otherwise given rise to very strong opposition?

Is that why St Joseph's feast at Zebbug was singled out? Because it is a very small party thing?

You see? It is not a matter whether we have fireworks or not, whether we close roads or not. It is simply a matter of either incompetence or ulterior motives in high places. That is why IATA's comments were very docile and diplomatic. But most readers missed it all, conveniently for some.

The transport minister is reported to have been livid when he first heard the news. Although St Philip's feast stands very close to my heart, while St Joseph's is my lifeblood, I too was livid because I am very careful and conscious of image projecting. Now let us see whose head from the DCA will roll following this landmark gaffe. But then it could also be a close encounter in high places where no heads ever roll, that being the real Mickey Mouse Land (and not because of infantile innocence for sure!)