Goa airport gets navy land for revamp take-off

Goa’s Dabolim airport is set for an upgrade. It would not only have a bigger apron but also a new international terminal building soon.

Goa’s Dabolim airport is set for an upgrade. It would not only have a bigger apron but also a new international terminal building soon. These decisions were taken following a meeting between Goa’s Deputy CM Wilfred de Souza and representatives of the Union Civil Aviation and Defence ministries. De Souza is also the state Tourism Minister.

‘‘The navy has agreed to provide us with nine acres of land to extend the size of the apron so as to enable it to accommodate wide-bodied planes,’’ he said. ‘‘We have also decided to construct a new international terminal building, which would have four aero-bridges.’’ The minister said as of now there was no talk of private partnership in the proposed revamp.

Another issue which came up for discussion was that of allowing more direct scheduled flights into Goa. ‘‘Airlines like Air Arabia, Emirates, Condor and Virgin have already shown interest in having direct scheduled flights to Goa,’’ said De Souza. ‘‘Condor has already made an application for a direct flight between Germany and Goa.’’ Chaired by Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel, the meeting was attended by Deputy Chief of Naval Staff Vice-Admiral G S Bedi, Civil Aviation Secretary Ajay Prasad and Airports Authority of India Chairman K Ramalingam. In lieu of the nine acres being given by it, the navy would be provided land at another location by the state government. A Cabinet note in this regard is being prepared by the Ministry of Civil Aviation for Cabinet approval.

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