Mopa airport gets Central nod

Mopa airport gets Central nod
Operations at Dabolim to continue
PTI
NEW DELHI, JUNE 10
Government today approved the setting up of a greenfield international airport in Mopa area of Goa through private participation and decided not to close down commercial operations at the existing Dabolim airport.
The Government also decided not to change the present provisions prohibiting a second airport from coming up within 150 kms of an existing one, thus allaying apprehensions among the locals about the possibility of the Dabolim airport being closed down once the new one started operations.
“There was a lot of discussion on the issue,” Information and Broadcasting Minister Ambika Soni told reporters here after announcing the Union Cabinet’s green signal to the proposal to set up the greenfield airport at Mopa.
“The new airport at Mopa will be constructed on a Build-Own-Operate-Transfer basis, for which, a private entity will be selected through a global tendering process,” she said, adding the Cabinet decided to grant it the status of an international airport.
Soni said the Cabinet approved continuation of commercial operations at the existing Dabolim civilian airport “by reviewing its earlier decision to close it down once the commercial operations start from Mopa in Goa.”
“Continuation of Dabolim airport at Goa will facilitate the State to meet the requirement of increased inflow of air traffic more efficiently as well as for balanced development of all parts of the State,” the Minister said.
The announcement could put a lid on years of unrest among the locals. Way back in 2000, the Civil Aviation Ministry had proposed that Dabolim airport should be closed down once an airport starts operations in Mopa.