The long-awaited air link between Malta and Gozo is to be re-established on 23 July, when the seaplane operated by Harbourair Malta is expected to begin its own inter-island hop following the dismantling of the former helicopter service last November.

But the new air link is only the beginning of the company’s future plans for Malta, which also include scenic flights, private charters and, in future, a potential for trips to other islands in the vicinity of the Maltese islands.

The Malta-Gozo services, to be run by the company’s Dehavilland DHC-111 Turbine Otter, will be confirmed once the appropriate checks and balances are carried out by Malta’s Department of Civil Aviation and Canadian authorities later this week.

The seaplane collects passengers from a floating pontoon situated at the Valletta Waterfront, from where it taxis out to the end of the harbour on the Senglea side. On the other end of the route, the seaplane will touch down just outside Mgarr Harbour and taxi into the marina to its allocated spot on pontoon F.

The services are being operated by Canadian pilots from Harbourair Canada, the world’s largest seaplane company.

The company will be running five round trip flights between Malta and Gozo per day, while scenic flights are being scheduled for 11am and 12pm, 3pm and 7pm. The Valletta-Mgarr run lasts a total of 20 minutes, 10 minutes of fly time and 10 minutes of taxiing, and will cost Lm15 each way, excluding VAT.

The half-hour scenic flights, will set customers back Lm27 plus VAT. The company is in the process of drawing up maps of Malta with large icons so passengers will be able to identify the sites being passed over.

The flights are unique in that they are relatively close to the sea and land, at 1,000 feet over land and between 300 and 500 feet over the sea – providing for a far different kind of experience than that of simply flying into Malta on a commercial airliner.

Both types of flight aboard the 13-passenger aircraft offer a 14th, premium, seat next to the pilot – affording the best views and a headset with which to listen in on the plane’s communications – at an extra Lm3 surcharge.

The company is also eyeing the possibility of operating private charter flights and has received a good deal of interest in the novelty to date. Such flights would land about a kilometre from a picturesque bay, for example, and passengers would be picked up by a rigid inflatable boat for transport to shore.

The company is also considering the potential of adding another plane to its fleet next year with the intention of operating flights to other islands within Malta’s proximity