Three microlight aircraft from the Island Microlight Club carried out a number of landings and take-offs from the disused Gozo helipad earlier today, to test its suitability for such operations.

The purpose of the flights was to evaluate the possibility of bringing this airstrip back to life. "With a considerable sum of money having been spent on it and its supporting structures, it will make a lot of sense to make use of this project," club spokesman Joe Ciliberti said.

The test flights were observed by Charles Tricas from the Department of Civil Aviation, who also flew on one of the aircraft.

Microlights require less than a hundred metres for take off or landing. A ten knot headwind results in takeoff and landing distances of less than ten metres.

The Gozo helicopter asphalt airstrip is one hundred and seventy-eight meters long and twenty-two meters wide, more than adequate for microlight aircraft use.

Moreover, the grass strip adjacent to the asphalt is even longer and wider and meets all of the European requirements for Microlight strips.

As reported yesterday, the Gozo Business Chamber is organising a public meeting to discuss the topic of the Gozo - Malta Air Link. This meeting is to be held next Tuesday, the 1st of July, at the Grand Hotel, Mgarr, at 7.30pm.