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.
