VASCO: Dabolim Airport Director K Srinivasa Rao, who formally took over as airport director on Tuesday, has affirmed his desire to make Dabolim airport a passenger-friendly airport, with his first priority to install mobile toilets and provide drinking water facilities to passengers.
“In the next four to five months, I want to commission the multilevel parking and I am presently awaiting the NOCs from all authorities concerned,” said Rao, while speaking to Herald.
“My main aim is to make Dabilom Airport a passenger-friendly airport and to provide all necessary facilities for the betterment of the passengers. They should carry fond memories of Goa and pass on to others, so that the next season we get more tourists, both domestic and international. Marketing by word of mouth is best way of advertisement that will boost the tourism industry in Goa,” said Rao.
Commenting on the new tourist season, Rao said the Dabolim airport is fully geared to welcome the tourists during the new season.
“We will allow night parking of chartered flights depending on the requirements of the charter operators,” he said.
Before taking over as director of the Dabolim airport, Rao served for a period of 11 months at the Srinagar International Airport and prior to that, as director of the Vishakhapatnam airport. “Goa is much bigger than the airports at Srinagar and Vishakhapatnam,” admitted Rao.
“Goa airport has a great potential of growing further as the capacity of Dabolim airport is not fully utilised. We are in touch with more international airlines and we are in the process of increasing international flights at the airport,” said Rao.
Commenting on the number of chartered flights scheduled to land at Dabolim International Airport during the current tourism season, Rao said: “So far, 1,150 chartered flights are scheduled to land at the airport, but the figure will go up in course of time.”
When asked if the runway maintenance work by the Navy would hamper civilian flights at the airport, Rao replied: “The repair work of the runway will not affect the flights as the work will be carried during the morning half of the day.”
