Parrikar ups the ante, says Goa needs another airport

Panaji: Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar today said that Dabolim airport will not be able to cope with the projected increase in the traffic in the next two years. “Dabolim airport is already handling 3.7 million passengers annually. The arrivals will touch six million mark in next two years and then the airport would be insufficient to handle the traffic,” Parrikar said in the state Legislative Assembly today.[caption id=“attachment_607823” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar. PTI[/caption] He was speaking during a discussion on the new airport, which would be coming up at Mopa, and the fate of Dabolim airport, which is essentially a naval facility where civil traffic is also allowed. Independent MLA Vijay Sardesai expressed apprehension that Mopa airport will result in closure of Dabolim facility, affecting the tourism in South Goa. Parrikar said navy used the Dabolim airport during prime time, which should have been allotted to the civilian aircraft. “If we continue with the Dabolim then we will have to restrain our air capacity,” Parrikar said. The chief minister also said the airstrip at the new airport would be longer, allowing the wide-bodied aircraft to land. “The existing airstrip at Dabolim is much shorter, restricting the kind of aircraft that can be allowed,” he said. PTI