Today's HERALD had this itsy-bitsy report  titled "Bangkok set to re-open
100-yr-old airport". The reference is to Don Muang, better known as Bangkok
International Airport. It was supposed to have been "shuttered" on the
inauguration of the brand new Suvarnabhumi  Airport. The latter turned out
to have serious flaws of design and construction which now have to be
rectified at great cost.

The episode  highlights the perils of rushing into new grandiose airports
which we in Goa would do well to study in the context of Mopa and Dabolim.
In 2005 we heard about the plan to have a A380 super jumbo category airport
costing Rs 1000 thousand crores at Mopa on the assumption that the civil
enclave at Dabolim would close.  This goofy plan has itself proved to be a
huge setback for Goa's aviation scene which will take us years to wriggle
out of.

It is anybody's guess as to when the Mopa plan will be right-sized and
regulations will be in place in Delhi and Porvorim to ensure that both Mopa
and Dabolim are designed and operated for the long haul and not to
cannibalise on each other unthinkingly. Regarding Dabolim, maybe we will
have to wait for the election result to find out if there is actually any
plan to upgrade the air-side facilities after the supposed transfer of 9
acres of land. That too when somebody shows up to cut some ribbon and lay a
commemorative plaque. Right now mum's the word on this front in the local
media.

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