Further to the news about the two runways planned for Mopa, could one of the reasons be that the Navy would then get to use one of the runways exclusively? Recently we had seen a vague news report about the CM cozying up to the Navy over Mopa. The Navy could well be angling to increase its footprint and Mopa would be a soft target. The question that remains is what will be the fate of civilian flights at Dabolim? Mum's the word on this point, it seems.
In Times of India (Aug 27) there was an interesting item titled "NE states to float own airlines". It marks "the beginnning of a new trend where states are getting into the act of floating airlnes to service air travel demand in their poorly connected cities". The move is being driven by a "whole new generation of airline entrepeneurs" who have apparently entered the business in India. Where is Tony Fernandes (who has made a name for himself in the world aviation scene) when it comes to Goa's needs? Goa's adoptive transient resident Vijay Mallya (an MP, though of Karnataka, to boot) is of course making waves with Kingfisher Airlines but he seems interested only in discovering Goan youngsters to model on his aircraft and his ads. Not a peep out of Goa's other MPs, Churchill Alemao and Shripad Naik, who supposedly have a nodding acquaintance with the Goan aviation scene. Then there is Shantaram Naik who has recently managed to get a response from the Defence Minister about Dabolim which covers old ground. Why all these worthies cant be induced to speak in one strong and vibrant voice on behalf of Goa's genuine aviation needs is simply beyond one's understanding!