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Govt dithers on Goa's international airport plan, CM eyes naval facility to rope in tourists

Sandesh Prabhudesai in Panaji

With no possibility of an international airport coming up in Goa in the near future, the state government is trying to get the existing naval airport transferred back to the state, to use it exclusively for civil aviation.

Dabolim airport, presently under naval control, is partially used by civilians, under several defence ministry restrictions. This obviously affects international traffic.

Chief Minister Luizinho Faleiro has brought to Defence Minister George Fernandes's notice that Goa's economy depends largely on tourism and that India is getting a bad image by not providing proper airport facilities in the state. He has also put forward long-term and short-term proposals to overcome the hurdles.

Since the country's biggest naval base -- Sea Bird -- is coming up at Karwar, hardly 50 kilometres away from Dabolim, Faleiro feels the defence ministry should shift Goa's naval operations there once Sea Bird is operational, making Dabolim airport fully available for civil aviation.

The airport handles around 3,000 domestic flights and 500 international flights annually. Goa also gets around 100,000 tourists by charter flights. However, the restrictions of allowing only three days for international landings and the ban on night landings is affecting growth.

At a meeting with the defence minister and Naval Chief Admiral Sushil Kumar, Faleiro requested them to allow international flights throughout the week and permit night landings. He also requested the defence ministry to allow civillian air traffic controllers to take charge at the airport so Dabolim can function round-the-clock.

Faleiro has lost all hope on Goa getting an alternate international airport. The civil aviation authorities have identified a site in Goa, but the proposal has been put on hold along with several other such proposals in the country.

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