The government has wrapped up a public consultation on its airstrip plans for Xewkija and submitted an application for a 'rural airfield' to the planning authority.

The Gozo Ministry said on Friday that it had received some 70 recommendations for the 445-metre runway.

According to the plans, the runway will be long enough to accommodate aircraft that can carry up to 11 passengers. 

The project covers an area of over 76,000 square metres of land that is already committed to similar development purposes, and which is currently in a depleted state, according to the ministry.

The existing passenger terminal will be refurbished and the current 271-metre runway extended to reach 445 metres. 

Gozo Minister Clint Camilleri reiterated on Friday that the project would respect the surrounding environment and no agricultural land will be touched.

Between 1990 and 2004 an Air Malta subsidiary called Malta Air Charter used to provide a helicopter link between the two islands, which carried an average of 50,000 passengers a year.

However, this service was stopped as it was considered to be no longer profitable. A seaplane service operated by a Spanish company also ran between Malta and Gozo from 2007 and 2012, but this was also terminated due to profit loss.