Too much to juggle
Cyril D'Cunha
From one civilian flight a week in the early 1960s to 37 per day now,
landings at Dabolim airport, have recorded quite a jump. According to Rear
Admiral Sanjay M. Vadgaokar, Flag Officer commanding Goa Area (FOGA),
Dabolim is as busy as Heathrow airport in the UK, considering its size, and
air traffic to this tiny state of Goa is growing by the day.
The Airports Authority of India (AAI) and other authorities have realised
that the airport at present is ill-equipped to handle this burgeoning number
of passengers and hence the need for a bigger terminal.
Already, the Dabolim airport which doubles up as a naval base and allows for
civilian traffic too, occupies an area of over 1700 acres of land, which is
insufficient for building additional parking bays for aircraft and for a
parallel runway to achieve a faster turn around and avoid delays, all
necessary to qualify for an international airport. The INS Hansa which
controls the airport, is the base for the Indian Navy's premier air
squadrons and is strategically placed to be just out of range of Pakistan,
stated Admiral Vadgaokar.
Moreover, with a port in the vicinity, it gives it several other advantages
as well. This naval station was first christened at the Sulur airfield on
the outskirts of Coimbatore town and following the liberation of Goa after
Operation Vijay in 1961, Dabolim was made its base. Besides being the
headquarters of the FOGA, it is also home to a variety of aircraft,
including INAS White Tigers, Cobras, Winged Stallions, Phantoms, Kiran and
Sea Harrier training squadrons, maintenance of aircraft and helicopters. The
Navy has also resurfaced the runway at a cost of Rs. 13 crores, which will
serve to land the newest addition, the MIG-29K air defence fighter.
In recent years, however, there has been a demand from various quarters to
utilise this airport exclusively for civilian use and to move the Navy to
the Karwar Seabird base.
Admiral Vadgaokar when asked for his reaction to this said that the Indian
Navy has spent nearly Rs. 75,000 crores since the 1960s, after this former
Portuguese airport was handed over to the Navy by the Union Government for
its use following Goa's liberation, and said the demand was untenable on
this ground and other strategic reasons. The Karwar base, he reiterated,
currently had a small airfield and unsuitable to accommodate large bodied
aircraft and their operations, though it is capable of berthing ships and
submarines. Lengthening of this runway was also not possible due to the
limitations of its topography and geographical location, he stated. So what
was the alternative? An international airport at Mopa was ideal and could
simultaneously operate with Dabolim, he felt. Meanwhile, civilian aircraft
would not be able to land during the timing slots allocated for naval
training flights in the morning hours. However, slots for civilian use are
still being under-utilised, stated Admiral Vadgaokar. (ENDS)
Goa Plus - January 11, 2008
