New airport wouldn't lead to closure of Dabolim facility: CM

Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar today said the existing airport at Dabolim will remain operational even after the proposed international aerodrome at Mopa in North Goa is commissioned.
There had been talks in certain quarters that the Dabolim airport, currently operated from a naval base near here, will be closed after the Mopa facility starts functioning.
"Fears that Dabolim would be closed after Mopa takes off are unwarranted. The Dabolim airport is currently super saturated, it cannot take even a single extra passenger or flight," he said.
If the Dabolim airport is closed, it would increase burden on the new aerodrome, Parrikar said.

"When the Mopa airport was conceived, Goa was receiving 25 lakh tourists annually. Now that number has gone up to 80 lakh," he added.
The sate government has announced that the first phase of the Mopa airport would be commissioned in 2020.