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Dabolim Airport

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Dabolim Airport

Goa Airport

Dabolim Navy Airbase
Summary
Airport typePublic/Military
OperatorIndian Navy
Airports Authority of India
LocationGoa
Elevation AMSL184 ft / 56 m
Coordinates15°22′51″N 073°49′53″E / 15.38083°N 73.83139°E / 15.38083; 73.83139
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
08/26 11,345 3,458 Asphalt

Dabolim Airport (IATA: GOI, ICAO: VAGO) is located in Goa, India and is the only domestic and international airport in the state. It is a military airport that is also used for Civil aviation purposes .

History

The airport was built by the government of the Estado da Índia Portuguesa in the 1950s.[1] Until 1961 it served as the main hub for the local airline TAIP Transportes Aéreos da Índia Portuguesa, which on a regular schedule served Karachi, Mozambique, Timor, and other destinations.[2] In April 1962, it was occupied by the Indian Navy's air wing as in April 1962, Major General K.P. Candeth, who had led the successful military operation into Goa, "handed over" the airport to the Indian Navy before relinquishing charge as its Military governor to a Lieutenant Governor of the then Union Territory of Goa in June.

The earliest international (i.e. non-Portuguese) tourists to Goa may have been the flower children of the 1960s. They used the overland route, by road or rail, from Bombay (now Mumbai), detouring via Poona (now Pune), to north Goa's beaches. A sea route was also available. For civilian air travel out of Vasco da Gama and Goa the Indian Navy and the Government of India invited the public sector airline (known now as Indian) to operate at Dabolim from 1966 after the bombed out runway was repaired and jet-enabled.

Once two vital road bridges across the main waterways of Goa were built in the early 1980s and Goa hosted the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in 1983, the charter flight business began to take off a few years later, pioneered by Condor Airlines of Germany.

Goa's estimated 700 flights per year account for some 90% of the country's international charter tourist flights. It is estimated that about 150 to 200 thousand foreign tourists arrive at Dabolim on charter flights. As the weekend morning hours approach saturation by chartered flights, attention is shifting to the early morning hours of weekdays for accommodating such flights.

Dabolim's Air traffic control is in the hands of the Indian Navy, which earns revenues from this service on account of landing, parking, and housing charges.

Capital expenditures (such as for runway expansion) at the airport are covered by the Airports Authority of India. The Dabolim airport runway has increased in length over the years from about 1,829 metres initially to 7850 ft today (approx 2370 meters) [3] , and can now accommodate Boeing 747s. There is a shortage of night parking bays which are at a premium in metro airports like Mumbai. A local association has estimated that about 40 hectares are needed for the civil enclave in comparison to the 14 hectares) provided at present.[4]

The Indian Civil Aviation Ministry has announced a plan to upgrade Dabolim airport. This will involve constructing a new international passenger terminal (after converting the existing one to domestic) and adding several more aircraft stands over an area of about 4 hectares. The construction is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2007.[5]

Structure

The airport is spread over 688 hectares and consists of a civil enclave of nearly 14 hectares, an increase from its original size of 6 hectares. The terminal building operated by the public sector Airports Authority of India (AAI) is a Public Works Department (PWD), a brick and mortar structure with a total floor space of 12,000 square metres. Of this, a domestic terminal comprises 2000 square metres and there is an international terminal that comprises 1000 square metres. The remaining space is for other service areas.

The domestic terminal is designed to process 350 arrivals and departures simultaneously, while the international terminal is meant for 250. There are 250 paramilitary personnel stationed at the airport for security purposes. There is provision for parking 84 cars and 8 buses. [6]

There is a very large concentration of civilian traffic in the period between 1:00 pm and 6:00 pm during weekdays, with the balance in the early morning hours. This is because of naval restrictions for military flight training purposes. This flight training takes place throughout the year and results in the sharp spiking of air fares during the peak Christmas/New Year tourist season.[7]

Statistics

Statistics for Dabolim Airport[1]
Year Total Passengers Total Aircraft Movements
1999 758,914 7,584
2000 875,924 7,957
2001 791,628 8,112

By 2005, total passengers had increased to 987,690 (1944 domestic plus 762 international passengers per day, year unspecified). [8] The figure for 2004-05 was placed at nearly 1.3 million giving a daily average of 3467. Data for April 2005 and 2006 are given in an Airports Authority Of India report.

Airlines and destinations

Twelve airlines compete in the domestic market. There are 132 airports in India which can be categorised in sometimes overlapping ways into public sector, private sector, civil enclaves, international, metro, and non-metro. Of these, 74 are connected at present. Dabolim is connected to only about 8 or 9 Indian airports (about 35% of the most active ones in the network).[9]

Dabolim's scheduled international flights are sporadic. These are operated only to the Persian Gulf region by the two state owned carriers (Air India and Indian) who have been granted a duopoly of this sector for a few more years. Foreign carriers were disallowed from operating scheduled flights to/from Goa, but now some carriers have obtained permission to operate such scheduled services. SriLankan Airlines operates Airbus A320s twice a week.

Charter airlines such as XL Airways, Arkefly, Novair and Monarch Airlines operate into Goa on a seasonal basis. Charter flights are available to and from the United Kingdom, Europe, and Russia.

The Civil Aviation Ministry has announced a relaxation in charter flight policy whereby Indians residing abroad can also use charter flights, and all charter flight passengers (Indian and foreign) can stay in India for longer periods. This is expected to benefit non-resident Goans travelling on a 'visiting friends and relatives' (VFR) basis.

Military flight training

The military flight training at Dabolim is carried out on 4 days of the week for 4.5 hours in the morning and for another hour in the evening, during which hours civilian flights cannot operate. Charter airlines carrying international tourists during the season tend to use the freer civil aviation regimes on weekends (Friday through Sunday).

Campaign to revert to civilian status

There has been a demand in local political circles for the restoration of Dabolim's civilian status and that the Indian Navy should abandon Dabolim, possibly shifting to an airfield in the new INS Kadamba naval base at Karwar, 70 kilometres (43 miles) south of Dabolim in the adjoining state of Karnataka. However, the Indian Navy's top officers in Goa have hinted that the investment at Dabolim naval air station is 750 thousand million rupees (about $17 billion) and that it would be impossible to replicate this at Karwar.[10]

By early 2007, there were reports of a concerted move by the Navy, the AAI, and the state of Karnataka to extend the runway planned at the naval base at Karwar to 2500 metres (8200 feet) to accommodate Airbus A320s and to acquire 75 extra hectares for this purpose.[11] However there have been no corresponding plans announced so far to relocate flight training from Dabolim to this airport or any other more convenient place.

Indian Navy's role

The early history of military flight training at Dabolim is obscure. But in 1983, the Indian Navy began inducting the BAE Sea Harrier into service, basing training activities at Dabolim. Now the base is expected to house four MIG-29KUBs that will be inducted into the navy with a complement of 12 single seater MIG-29Ks purchased with the aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya. Since MIG-29Ks are untried and untested anywhere in the operational context, a new round of flight training will begin in about a couple of years for the new planes.[12]

A mock-up of the 700 foot deck (14.3 degree ski-jump and all) is being built at Dabolim airport for training purposes as the aircraft carrier is slated to be based at Karwar. Meanwhile the maintenance, repair, and overhaul of the INS Viraat's Sea Harriers are carried out at the naval air station in Kochi.[13] The Navy is in the process of mid-life upgradation of these fighters at Hindustan Aeronautics Limited in Bangalore. A number of Harriers have gone for upgradation being undertaken with the help of the fighter's manufacturers, British Aerospace.

Besides military flight training involving the Indian Navy's VTOL/STOVL aircraft such as helicopters and Sea Harriers, Dabolim airport also hosts exercises by the Indian Air Force's fighter bombers and is a base for the Indian Coast Guard (which operates a fleet of small aircraft). The beaches comprising 70% of Goa's 105 kilometre coast line are vulnerable to oil spills from the heavy tanker traffic in the Arabian Sea and capsizing of vessels engaged in coastal shipping as well as illegal discharge of dirty water from both. The Indian Navy also carries out long range maritime patrols as far as the Horn of Africa from Dabolim using unarmed aircraft such as the Ilyushin Il-38.

Of late the Navy has begun displaying its 3-plane aerobatic team, based at Dabolim. The team comprises three Kiran aircraft which carry out aerobatic displays at various locations in the country. The team is used in special public events in Goa for flypasts of 15 to 20 minutes duration.

The Government of India appointed a new Navy chief, Admiral Sureesh Mehta, on November 1, 2006. The officer has had a long association with Dabolim naval air station and is a staunch proponent of its continuation in perpetuity. In conjunction with the Navy's "low intensity maritime operations" it had averted "various threats", he subsequently observed.[10]

Surface transport connectivity

Passengers can reach the airport using taxis, buses, trains, or automobiles. Public buses go to the nearby city of Vasco da Gama, approximately 4 km (2 mi) away, and also stop at the closer Chicalim bus stop, about 1.5 km from the airport. Local mini-buses connect both Vasco da Gama and Chicalim to the airport. Pre-paid taxis are available from the airport. There are various new transportation plans in the works, including the addition of a second bridge. Meanwhile plans for a 6-lane, north-to-south expressway are moving ahead in Goa. A nonorail system is also being considered. All these plans have implications for the proposed Mopa airport and its link to Dabolim and Goa's population centres.

Railway tracks of Indian Railways, which also run through Goa, pass in front of the airport. The nearest station is at Vasco da Gama city. The port at Mormugao is located about 5 km away.

Konkan Railways provides services to Margao (Madgaon) in South Goa, Thivim or Tivim in North Goa, Karmali, and Ponda.

Incidents and accidents

  • In December 2004 a Sea Harrier did a "belly flop" while landing. The pilot survived.[13]
  • In Early 2005 a Sea Harrier overshot the runway while landing. The pilot survived.[13]
  • In December 2005 a Sea Harrier crashed through a steel wire barrier, broke through the perimeter wall, and went over a road before ending in a fireball on the other side. The pilot was killed.[13]

References

  1. ^ http://goancauses.com/9.html
  2. ^ During the Indian invasion of Goa, in December, 1961, the airport was heavily bombarded by the Indian Air Force with part of the infrastrutures beeing destroyed. Two civilian planes that were in the airport, one from TAP Portugal and the other from TAIP managed to escape during the night to Karachi. Gabriel de Figueiredo. A tale of a Goan Airport and Airline
  3. ^ http://www.world-airport-codes.com/india/dabolim-2604.html
  4. ^ HASG. Series of four infomercials titled "Save Dabolim Save Goa" in Herald and Navhind Times. March/April 2006.
  5. ^ Dabolim airport upgrading will be over by end of 2007. The Hindu. Retrieved on February 18, 2007
  6. ^ Goa Agenda: Goa Infrastructure Report. Goa Chamber of Commerce & Industry. Undated (circa 2005/2006)
  7. ^ Dev Roy, Atreyee and Sharma, Rouhan. New Year Goa flights on a high. Financial Express.
  8. ^ The Skies Open Up Over India. Travel Daily News. October 26, 2005.
  9. ^ Vayalar, M. Jaipur to Guwahati, skies are all set to get busier. Times of India. February 13, 2007
  10. ^ a b D'Cunha C. "Room for more flights at Dabolim: Adm.Mehta". Goa Plus (The Times of India supplement). January 5, 2007
  11. ^ Government Exploring Possibilities opening of Karwar Airport for Civilian Air Services Press Information Bureau Government of India
  12. ^ India to receive MiG-29 from Russia in 2007. The Times of India. March 13, 2006
  13. ^ a b c d Unnithan, S. "Harrier Hassles". India Today. December 19, 2005


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