After Mopa & Chipi, AAI proposes civil aviation enclave at Karwar naval base

Dabolim airport in a three-way squeeze?

By Glenn Costa

teamherald@herald-goa.com

PANJIM: The Airports Authority of India (AAI) is all set to operate a civil enclave at the proposed Indian Navy air base near Karwar which is a part of the navy’s Rs 10,000 crore Seabird Project (phase II). The AAI proposal is learnt to have been cleared in principle. 

There will, therefore, now be a third airport that will be in potential competition with Dabolim, the proposed greenfield airport at Mopa cleared by the Union government and pushed by the Manohar Parrikar regime, another at Chipi in Sindhudurg district which is a Maharashtra government project sanctioned by the Centre and now, the proposed civil aviation enclave of the naval air base at Ankola near Karwar in Karnataka.

Sources in the naval headquarters in New Delhi confirmed that the proposed Karwar naval air base is to be built at Alageri village, Ankola, on 52 hectares primarily to cater to the navy's large, ship-based helicopter units and Dornier 228 aircraft that will be stationed at this proposed base. Also, it could house the new Mig-29K This is said to be a bid to de-congest INS Hansa as well as look for options as the Dabolim airport is highly congested with both operational and training flying.

According to sources the navy requires more land to expand the airport for civilian use as proposed by AAI and is waiting for the Karnataka government to acquire more land for the construction of a runway. The AAI had carried out an inspection of the site at the request of the Karnataka government in May 2013 and given suggestions regarding orientation, location and extension of the proposed runway to 2,500 meters and also of its land requirements of an additional 75 hectares. The Karnataka government wants the Centre to bear the cost of acquisition of this additional land, estimated to be Rs 20 crore.

The Defence Ministry, sources said, had conveyed to Karnataka that it wants permission to operate civil flights at the proposed new naval air station associated with Project Seabird at Karwar of the Indian Navy. Of the other “competitor airports", Mopa international airport is clearly going ahead with both the central Congress government and the state BJP government pushing it despite significant opposition, while Chipi airport is being envisaged more on the lines of a domestic airport.