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A. CHALLENGES OF LONG TERM RUNWAY PLANNING 1. Years ago when the Navy established an air base in Kochi it deposited its runway on an island. this topography rpoved a constraint to the civilian (that too international) aircraft which shared the facility. So a new airport was built 30 km away recently for civilian traffic. The latter has duly boomed to about 13 lakhs per annum in a short space of 4 years. In comparison Dabolim reached a figure of about 10 lakhs last year. This might be a measure of the pent up demand at Dabolim for civilian traffic especially if low cost air fares begin to apply to and from Dabolim. 2. A few years ago the Navy embarked on the establishment from scratch of a new base called Seabird at Karwar including an air station at nearby Yenkebe. But the new runway is deemed inadequate for the shift of the Navy's activities from Dabolim airport. A close look at the specs may be necessary to see where the mismatch between Navy aircraft and Yenkebe runway lies. B. INTERNATIONAL COMPARISONS 1. The American base which included an airfield in Subic Bay in the Philippines was shut down in 1992 just a couple of years after the end of the cold war with the Soviet Union and China as it was deemed to have outlived its strategic purpose of containing communism. There had also been strong local opposition to the continued American military presence. In the case of the Indian Navy what are the threat perceptions which make its continuation at Dabolim Airport and expansion in a southerly direction to Seabird imperative? 2. At Honolulu in the American tourist paradise of Hawaii the Honolulu International Airport serving 20 million passengers a year co-exists with Hickam Air Force Base with assets valued at nearly $500M. The entire complex is considered an integrated facility and managed under a "joint use agreement". There are no peacetime hassles between the military and civilian wings at a facility which was during WW II a key point in the American air bridge across the Pacific. Why cant a joint use agreement which effectively balances the civilian and military needs be devised for Dabolim? 2.