-------------------------------------------------------------------------- | 3rd Annual Konkan Fruit Fest, Goa - May 6-8, 2005 | | | | Today's Events include Fruit Quiz - Papaya / Banana eating | | Competition. Check out http://konkanfruit.swiki.net | --------------------------------------------------------------------------
In recent times, all the south Indian states seem to have got onto the bandwagon of aviation development. 1. Maharashtra is working on several airport projects. Besides the privatisation and modernisation of Mumbai airport, there are plans for a greenfield Rs 3K cr airport at Navi Mumbai as well as similar smaller ones at Nagpur and Pune. 2. Kerala already has three international airports and is planning a fourth one (at Kannur). The new Air India Express is providing connectivity in a big way to the Kerala airports vis a vis the Gulf countries. Even this is not enough so Kerala is going in for a chartered airline of its own. 3. In Karnataka, work on Bangalore's new Rs 1.5K cr International Airport is due to begin anyday and the facility is expected to be commissioned by 2008. 4. In Andhra Pradesh, a new airport in Hyderabad is getting the necessary clearances in quick time and is practically neck and neck with Bangalore which was mooted a few years earlier. 5. Chennai is also in line for a new international airport with a repor of the state government recently "gifting" land for this purpose. 6. Madhya Pradesh is consdering the reduction in sales tax on aviation turbine fuel (ATF) to attract more airlines to the state for tourism purposes. It was recently able to hold a conclave under CII auspices to brainstorm about its aviation needs. Meanwhile Goa continues to dither on the aviation front both at Dabolim and at Mopa.
