http://www.indianexpress.com/full_story.php?content_id=73307
<Tourism & Goa Aviation Minister Praful Patel recently spoke about the immense potential of India's airline industry as a large number of Indians begin to afford air travel. But airport infrastructure is in a mess and the privatisation of the Delhi and Mumbai airports has hit an air pocket. Apart from the metros, one of the biggest magnets for Indian and international tourists is beautiful Goa. Did you know that Goa does not even have a civilian airport (despite landing so many international charters and domestic flights)? The Navy runs the airport and places a number of restrictions on its use. In fact, the Navy uses the airport to train pilots to fly the Sea Harriers and it will soon be training pilots for the MIG-29K's acquired along with a Russian aircraft carrier. The obvious question is, shouldn't the Goa airport be freed for civilians while Navy training is shifted to the mammoth Project Seabird at nearby Karwar? Instead of expanding the operations of Goa's Dabolim airport and providing it with world-class airport infrastructure, there is a plan to build an expensive second airport at Mopa, which is capable of landing the A380. This airport, if ever it materialises, will be costlier, closer to Maharashtra and waste well-located existing airport infrastructure; also, the South Goa hotel industry that has developed around it will lose some shine. On the other hand, thanks to a greenfield airport at Mopa politicians can profit hugely from land deals and granting of clearances to a whole new set of resorts that would develop around the new airport and in the Sindhudurg region of Maharshtra.>
