Plans for a new airport in Gozo make no sense, however one looks at them, and this project would only see benefits for the few to the detriment of the many, the ADPD political party said on Thursday.

The government has said it wants to extend the current helicopter pad near Xewija so that it can handle small regional aircraft.

ADPD said the consultation period about the airport, at just three weeks, showed this was not a serious exercise.

Spokespersons Ralph Cassar and Luke Caruana said the proposed airport would take up the space equivalent to 11 football grounds, making the current situation of unbridled development worse.

They said in a statement that it was 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 could be removed and the area rehabilitated as an open space.

"The fact that the project’s economic viability is not sound from the outset means that there will be 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," they said.

Instead, they called for current means of transport to be improved, including extension of fast ferry services to other harbours.

The spokesmen said the mention of direct flights to Gozo from Sicily and other islands showed that this project was not really aimed to assist Gozitan or Maltese workers and commuters but targeted tourism, which is already well catered for by  Malta 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," they said.  

"At a time when both within the European Union and across the world discussions are ongoing about the impact of aviation on climate change, it is ironic that the Maltese government is putting forward an airport proposal – one that is definitely not needed," the spokesmen insisted.