August 25, 2009 - Goanet's 15th Anniversary
One of the sad duties on Goanet -- after being around for so long --
is to announce the departures of our friends (whom we have come to
know close through their many posts).
It is a sad task to announce the recent death of Philip Thomas, who
passed away of a heart-attack. Goanetters would remember him as having
a strong interest in aviation issues, the Dabolim airport, apart from
other concerns.
In real life, I never met Philip Thomas. Through his many posts, we
got to know him well though, and I'm sure the same would be said by
others too. Philip Thomas struck me as a patient and kind gentleman.
If he disagreed, he didn't get personal but made his point politely
and gently.
We'll miss Philip on Goanet. Condolences to his wife Mercy, and family
of three children.
Philip Thomas was an example of a Goan-by-choice, who had his heart in
this place. As the article below, which I ran into while browsing
recently, indicates. He understood issues well, and made his points
boldly when needed. FN
Aviation and Goa
June 24, 2005
In this special piece for this website, the Phil Thomas points out how
Goa may be India’s biggest tourism magnet, but its airport remains
under the control of the Indian Navy and cannot be developed.
Great Wall of Goa
By Phil Thomas
Goa is the biggest tourism magnet, and a recent newspaper report (May
27) had blithely recommended that the State should go in for an
airport that can land the giant A380, which is India’s largest
aircraft carrier at a a greenfield site. It suggested that the
airport could be developed at Mopa in Goa by 2014!
If this is seriously pursued, it can cause incalculable harm to Goa's
already distorted aviation scene by further skewing the badly needed
efforts to improve it. In fact a careful look at the vexed problem of
Goa's aviation scenario may shed useful light on the overall national
problem of urgently updating our airport infrastructure.
Goa's sole airport, Dabolim in the south, is controlled since the
early 1960s by the Navy which places unrealistic restrictions on a
tourism oriented facility in the name of interminably training a
couple of squadrons of pilots for carrier based fighter operation
using obsolescent and tricky Sea Harriers.
As you may be aware, the Navy has recently commissioned a mammoth base
called Project Seabird at Karwar about 100 km south of Goa in
Karnataka. The ostensible purpose of this project is to decongest
Mumbai harbour. However there is no commensurate will to decongest
Dabolim airport for civilian flight purposes i.e. by shifting military
flight training etc to Seabird or even other places. The air station
there is still only on paper, awaiting financial and other high level
clearances. It could become a reality in the next phase of the
project. Its another matter that the Karwar terrain is not all that
suitable for any airflield which is much more than of minimal
proportions.
In the mean time, Dabolim has been "booked" for training pilots of
MIG29Ks which have recently been acquired along with an old Russian
aircraft carrier. These carrier based fighters are said to be the
first to be ordered by any Navy in the world. So the prospect of the
Navy easing up on civilian flight restrictions at Dabolim in the
foreseeable future are quite dim.
That's why I call the military presence at Dabolim airport the Great
Wall of Goa! The only way out may be to push for joint
military/civilian management which is not unheard of abroad in places
like the U.S. But where will the push for this come from? But more on
this later. Lets first look at Mopa, the recommended alternative site
for the greenfield project.
Mopa
For the past couple of years, a proposal has been doing the rounds for
a greenfield airport at Mopa in North Goa. There is natural resistance
to this for several reasons. First, it is feared that once Mopa is
ready then civilian flghts at Dabolim will have to cease. There are
several precedents for this. This happened at the Navy air station in
Kochi when the public/private greenfield airport called CIAL came up
nearby a few years ago. The same thing is due to occur at HAL
controlled Bangalore airport when the new BIAL comes up in 2-3 years
time.
A discontinuation of civilian flights like this would always be a boon
for the military which would naturally prefer a free run at its bases.
It is another matter whether the Navy, whose essential armament is
carrier based aircraft, really needs an airport with a mammoth 11,000
foot runway which is fit for jumbo jets (including perhaps the A380
after a suitable upgrade of the type you described). Thus Dabolim at
present, you will appreciate, is a purely dog-in-the-manger situation.
On the other hand, Mopa would cut into the business of South Goa
hotels which depend heavily
