Mopa will add to a mere 4.2 million passengers in 40 years

TEAM HERALD

PANJIM: The devil is in the detail. And details is what the government never wants to publicly get into about the Mopa airport, former chief minister Parrikar’s most ardent love and interest and his successor Parsekar’s object of passion in his backyard of Pernem.

If the EIA report on Mopa combined with the response the Directorate of Civil Aviation has given in response with queries by potential bidders, there will be an additional passenger growth of a mere 4.2 million in the 25 years between 2020-2045, if Mopa and Dabolim airports are both operational. This amount to 42 lakh or an additional passenger load of a little over a lakh a year for both airports.

In the response to queries of Global Bidders for Mopa dated November 24, in possession of Herald (Query 15, Clause 1.1.1.), the Directorate of Civil aviation GoI states: “A new integrated domestic and international terminal opened in December 2013 at Dabolim with enhanced capacity between 6.5 and 7 million passengers per annum. If the present airport maintains its growth rate it could saturate its capacity within 5 years. (i.e. 2020). There is limited scope for further expansion due to unavailability of land” (the fact that land is available and can be got if there is serious intent is another story)

Therefore, according to the Goa government, Dabolim airport will be saturated with a capacity of 7 million passengers in five years i.e 2020. Conversely, in the summary of the EIA report of the Mopa airport prepared by Engineers India Ltd, the table on ‘phase wise implementation’ states that in 2020 (phase) one, annual passengers estimated for Mopa airport is 4.4 million.

Thus the combined passengers for both airports in 2020 sourced from the governments reply to bidders and the Mopa EIA is 11.4 million passengers. (Dabolim 7 million plus Mopa 4.4 million)

Let us now do a document check on passenger projection on the basis of the following. The EIA summary for the Mopa Greenfield Airport and a graph showing the phase wise passenger footfalls at Mopa and Dabolim from 2020 to 2045. (Please refer to chart with this story for a quick reference)

In 2025, the passenger count for Dabolim is two million, a huge drop from 2020, due to the kick-starting of the Mopa airport. The EIA report for the 2025 phase in Mopa shows the passenger count for Mopa at 5.8 million taking the combined Dabolim plus Mopa count to 7.8 million. 

In the third phase in 2035, the graph shows a marginal increase in Dabolim traffic to 2.5 million passengers, while the EIA report on Mopa in the same year shows an annual passenger count of 7.8 million passengers taking the total to 11.9 million passengers.

In 2045, Dabolim’s passenger count remains at 2.5 million and the EIA report on Mopa shows the annual passenger projection at 13.1 million taking the Goa count in 2045 to 15.6 million passengers.

There are two findings that emerge from this.

a) Between 2020 and 2045, the combined growth of passengers for both airports is a paltry 4.2 million.

b) The so-called two airport promise that the government of Goa has been dishing out is predominantly false. Dabolim will be forced to stagnate with a maximum of a mere 2.5 million passengers annually till 2045 when it can officially take 7 million passengers.

Some stories do not need any explanations. Just plain hard numbers put out by the government to uncover what their words and assurances attempt to cover.