Goa International Airport

Goa International Airport
Dabolim Airport

The new terminal building at Goa Airport
IATA: GOI – ICAO: VOGO
Summary
Airport type Public/Military
Owner Government of Goa & Indian Navy[1]
Operator Airports Authority of India
Serves Goa
Location Dabolim, Mormugão, Goa, India
Elevation AMSL 56 m / 184 ft
Coordinates 15°22′51″N 073°49′53″E / 15.38083°N 73.83139°E / 15.38083; 73.83139Coordinates: 15°22′51″N 073°49′53″E / 15.38083°N 73.83139°E / 15.38083; 73.83139
Maps

Map of Dabolim Airport
GOI
GOI
Runways
Direction Length Surface
m ft
08/26 3,430 11,253 Asphalt
Statistics (2014-15)
Passengers 5,375,555 (Increase19.10%)
Aircraft movements 33,422 (Increase15.6%)
Freight in tonnes 4,498 (Decrease5.6%)
Source: AAI,[2][3]

Goa International Airport (IATA: GOI, ICAO: VOGO), more commonly known as Dabolim Airport, is the sole airport in the state of Goa, located in the city of Dabolim in Goa, India. It operates as a civil enclave in a military airbase named INS Hansa. It is 4 km from the nearest city Vasco da Gama, 23 km from Margao, and about 30 km from the state capital Panjim.[4]

History

The airport was built, in 1955, by the Government of the Estado da Índia Portuguesa, on 249 acres (101 ha) of land, as the Aeroporto de Dabolim, which was later officially renamed to Aeroporto General Bérnard Guedes.[5] Until 1961, the airport served as the main hub of the Portuguese India's airline TAIP (Transportes Aéreos da Índia Portuguesa), which on a regular schedule served Daman, Diu, Karachi, Mozambique, Portuguese Timor, and other destinations.

During the Indian invasion of Goa, in December 1961, the airport was bombarded by the Indian Air Force with parts of the infrastructure being destroyed. Two civilian planes that were in the airport - a Lockheed Constellation from TAP (Portuguese International Airlines) and a Douglas DC-4 from TAIP - managed to escape with refugees, during the night, to Karachi.[6] In April 1962, it was occupied by the Indian Navy's air wing when Major General K.P. Candeth, who had led the successful military operation into Goa, "handed over" the airport to the Indian Navy before relinquishing charge as its military governor to a Lieutenant Governor of the then Union Territory of Goa, Daman and Diu in June 1962.

The earliest international (i.e. non-Portuguese) tourists to Goa may have been the flower children of the 1960s. They used the overland route, by road or rail, from Bombay (now Mumbai), detouring via Poona (now Pune), to north Goa's secluded beaches. A sea route was also available. For civilian air travel out of Vasco da Gama and Goa the Indian Navy and the Government of India invited the public sector airline (known now as Indian) to operate at Dabolim from 1966 after the runway was repaired and jet-enabled. Road and rail travel remains the mainstay of journeys between Goa and places like Mumbai and Bangalore, though they take 12–15 hours nowadays (down from 24 hours at one time).

Once two vital road bridges across the main waterways of Goa were built in the early 1980s, and Goa hosted the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in 1983, the charter flight business began to take off at Dabolim a few years later, pioneered by Condor Airlines of Germany.

Today, Goa's estimated 1200 international flights per year account for some 93% of India's international charter tourist flights. It is estimated that about 300 to 350 thousand international tourists arrive at Dabolim on charter flights. Goa's total international tourists (roughly double the charter passengers) account for 5–10% of the national figure and 10–15% of the country's foreign exchange receipts from tourism. As the weekend morning hours approach saturation due to waves of chartered flights especially from the UK and Russia, attention is shifting to the night and early morning hours of weekdays for accommodating such flights. Tourists from UK to Goa by air were estimated to number about 300,000 in 2013-14 while those from Russia numbered about 49,000 (by 280 charter flights) in the same period.

Economic factors

Waiting hall on the second floor

Dabolim's air traffic control is in the hands of the Indian Navy, which earns revenues from this service on account of aircraft movements. Landing fees are of the order of ₹17,000 (US$250) each while Route Navigation Facility (RNF) Charges are about ₹7,400 (US$110). The Airports Authority of India could be eligible for aircraft parking fees of ₹10,000 (US$150) per day. It receives a part of the passenger service fee which is shared between it and the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF). The AAI's prime source of earning is from non-traffic services like passenger facilitation, car park, entry tickets, stalls, restaurants and shops at the main terminal building and advertising boards. With such revenues at an estimated ₹900 million (US$13 million), Dabolim Airport is one of only a dozen "profitable" airports of the Airports Authority of India (AAI).

Capital expenditures (such as for runway expansion) at the airport are covered by AAI. The Dabolim Airport runway has increased in length over the years from about 6,000 feet (1,829 m) initially to 11,345 feet (3,458 m) as of April 2013[7] and can accommodate Boeing 747s. There is a shortage of night parking bays which are at a premium in metro airports like Mumbai. A local association has estimated that about 40 hectares are needed for the civil enclave in comparison to the 14 hectares earmarked at present.[8]

The Indian Civil Aviation Ministry announced a plan to upgrade Dabolim Airport in 2006. This involved constructing a new international passenger terminal (after converting the existing one to domestic) and adding several more aircraft stands over an area of about 4 hectares (9.9 acres). The construction was scheduled to be completed by the end of 2007.[9] However delays in transfer of the required land from the Navy have held up proceedings.

Structure

The airport is spread over 688 hectares (1,700 acres) (and possibly 745 hectares or 1,840 acres) and consists of a civil enclave of nearly 14 hectares (35 acres), an increase from its original size of 6 hectares (15 acres). There are two terminal buildings operated by the public sector Airports Authority of India (AAI) which are Public Works Department (PWD) brick and mortar structures with a total floor space of 12,000 square metres (130,000 sq ft). Of this, a domestic terminal comprises 2,000 square metres (22,000 sq ft) and there is an international terminal that comprises 1,000 square metres (11,000 sq ft). The remaining space is for other service areas.

The domestic terminal was built in 1983 and is designed to process 350 arrivals and departures simultaneously, while the international terminal built in 1996 is meant for 250. There are 250 paramilitary personnel stationed at the airport for security purposes. There is provision for parking 84 cars and 8 buses.[10] The car park has since been reserved for staff vehicles. Private cars and buses have been relegated to spaces outside the airport premises.

Of the 50-60 flights daily, there is a very large concentration of civilian traffic in the period between 1:00 pm and 9:00 pm during weekdays, with the balance in the early morning hours. This is because of naval restrictions for military flight training purposes. This flight training takes place throughout the year. The huge demand during the peak Christmas/New Year tourist season results in the sharp spiking of air fares during this period.[11] Delhi/Mumbai-Goa air fares for this period have become a bench mark of sorts at the upper end, comparable to international fares from Mumbai to Dubai and to Bangkok. Officially, night operations have been permitted and enabled since October 2007 but they have taken place only an ad hoc basis subject to the mandatory clearance of the naval ATC.

The Navy's premises straddle the Dabolim runway and consequently its personnel cross at one point (on foot or bicycles or in vehicles) between flights. One point near the terminal constrains the enlargement of aircraft parking space. Navy personnel in the Goa area number about six thousand in total, substantially larger in size than the total Goa state police force of less than four thousand.

Expansion

Model of the new integrated terminal building on display

The modernisation project of Goa Airport was one of 35 airport expansion projects undertaken by the AAI and, in terms of size and money, was its third largest project after the ones at Chennai and Kolkata airports.[12] It included the construction of an integrated terminal building to replace the older terminals, a multi-level car parking (MLCP) facility to accommodate between 540 and 570 cars and construction of additional parking stands for aircraft, among others. The AAI acquired additional land from the Indian Navy and the State Government for apron expansion and the expansion of the older international terminal building complex.[13]

The foundation stone for the terminal was laid on 21 February 2009, the project work began in May 2010 and construction of the terminal began in May 2011.[12] The terminal can handle 2,750 peak hour passengers, cost ₹3.45 billion and was naugurated on 3 December 2013.[14]

The integrated building design features aesthetic glass, large steel span structures and frameless glazing. The 62,000 square metre terminal will cater to five million passengers annually. It will be equipped with 16 aerobridges, out of which, eight will be installed in the first phase. The terminal will also feature an in-line baggage scanning system and a state-of-the-art sewage treatment plant.[15]

It has 75 check-in counters, 22 immigration counters for departures, 18 immigration counters for arrivals, 14 security check booths and 8 customs counters. The basement of the four-level terminal has utilities like electricity and cargo handling. The check-in counters are placed on the ground floor while the first floor has security check booths. The second floor has the security hold area where passengers may wait before boarding an aircraft.

The existing terminal buildings would be totally shut down for all air operations after the commissioning of the new terminal.[16]

Terminals

Terminal 1 – Domestic

Less than a dozen airlines compete in the domestic market. There are 132 airports in India which can be categorised in sometimes overlapping ways into public sector, private sector, civil enclaves, international, metro, and non-metro. Goa is connected to all six main cities in India: Mumbai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Delhi, Chennai & Kolkata. There are multiple flights to Mumbai per day, operated by over 5 airlines. The first Goa – Mumbai domestic flight leaves at around 0700 in the morning and the last flight leaves at around 2350.

Terminal 2 – International

Dabolim's scheduled international flights are rather limited, however these have been on the increase in recent years. These are operated to the Persian Gulf region by the state owned carrier Air India, Air Arabia, Oman Air, the Doha based carrier, Qatar Airways, and to Kuala Lumpur through AirAsia. Foreign carriers were for long disallowed from operating scheduled flights to or from Goa, but have recently started obtaining permission to do so.

Several European charter airlines fly to Goa seasonally, typically between November and May. Flights from the UK (London Gatwick & Manchester Airport) are operated by Thomson Airways and Thomas Cook Airlines.

Airlines and destinations

Passenger

A SpiceJet Boeing 737 bound for Mumbai
A Thomson Airways Boeing 787-8 having arrived from London–Gatwick
Jet Airways vehicles at Dabolim
AirlinesDestinationsTerminal
Aeroflot
operated by Rossiya 		Moscow-Vnukovo 2
Air Arabia Sharjah 2
Air India Bangalore, Delhi, Hyderabad, Mumbai, Pune 1
Air India Chennai, Delhi, Dubai–International, Kuwait, Mumbai, Muscat 2
AirAsia India Bangalore, Delhi, Hyderabad[17] 1
Azur Air Seasonal charter: Kazan, Moscow-Domodedovo, Nizhny Novgorod (begins 27 October 2017), Rostov-on-Don, Samara, St Petersburg (begins 27 October 2017), Ufa, Yekaterinburg 2
Finnair Seasonal: Dubai-Al Maktoum, Dubai–International, Helsinki 2
GoAir Ahmedabad, Delhi, Bangalore, Chandigarh, Lucknow, Mumbai 1
IndiGo Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Chennai, Delhi, Guwahati, Hyderabad, Indore,[18] Kolkata, Lucknow, Mumbai, Patna, Raipur,[18] Vadodara, Varanasi 1
Jet Airways Bangalore, Mumbai 1
Jet Airways Seasonal: Abu Dhabi (ends 1 February 2017)[19] 2
Mahan Air Seasonal: Tehran-Imam Khomeini 2
Nordwind Airlines Seasonal: Novosibirsk, Krasnoyarsk 2
Oman Air Muscat 2
Qatar Airways Doha 2
Rossiya Airlines Seasonal: Moscow-Vnukovo 2
RoyalFlight Seasonal: Moscow-Sheremetyevo 2
SpiceJet Ahmedabad, Bangalore,[20] Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Madurai, Mumbai, Pune 1
Thomas Cook Airlines Seasonal: London–Gatwick, Manchester 2
Thomson Airways Seasonal: Birmingham (begins 9 November 2017),[21] London–Gatwick, Manchester[22] 2
TruJet Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad, Rajahmundry 1
VIM Airlines Seasonal: Moscow–Domodedovo 2
Vistara Delhi, Mumbai, Srinagar 1

Cargo

AirlinesDestinations
Blue Dart Aviation Ahmedabad, Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai, Lucknow
FedEx ExpressDubai–International

Statistics

Statistics for Goa International Airport[23]
Year Total passengers Total aircraft movements
1999 758,914 7,584
2000 875,924 7,957
2001 791,628 8,112

By 2005, total passengers had increased to 987,700 (1944 domestic plus 762 international passengers per day, year unspecified).[24] The figure for 2004–05 was placed at nearly 1.3 million giving a daily average of 3,467. Data for April 2005 and 2006 are given in an Airports Authority Of India report. The airport director has claimed that 2.2 million passengers used the airport in CY 2006. This rose to about 2.6 million in CY 2007. The airport is ranked among the top ten in the country in terms of passenger traffic. Airport authorities consider that it has been operating at saturation levels since 2004.

Naval Station at Dabolim

Main article: INS Hansa

The air station of the Indian Navy at Dabolim was transferred here from the Sulur Air Force Base in Coimbatore after the annexation of Goa in December 1961. In 1983, the Indian Navy began inducting the BAE Sea Harrier into service, basing training activities at Dabolim. Now the base houses MiG-29KUBs, the tandem two-seat operational trainer variant of the carrier based MIG-29Ks. The aircraft has been inducted into the Navy with a complement of 12 MiG 29Ks that have been purchased with the aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya (re-fitted and refurbished Admiral Gorshkov of the Russian Navy).

A mock-up of the 283-metre (928 ft) INS Vikramaditya deck has been built at Dabolim Airport for training purposes as the aircraft carrier is slated to be based at Karwar. The move is in anticipation of a delay in delivery of the Russian aircraft carrier from 2008 to late 2013.

Besides the operation of STOVL aircraft such as the BAE Sea Harrier, the Navy also operates Kamov Ka-28 anti submarine helicopters, along with IL-38 May and TU-142M Bear aircraft. Dabolim airbase also hosts exercises by the Indian Air Force's fighter bombers and it has facilities for the Indian Coast Guard which operates a fleet of small aircraft such as Dornier-228s. The Indian Navy also carries out long range maritime patrols as far as the Horn of Africa from Dabolim using unarmed aircraft such as the Ilyushin Il-38. This activity has assumed significance recently due to a spate of pirate attacks in the area on maritime shipping involving Indian crews.

The Navy has an aerobatic team, based at Dabolim, called the Sagar Pawan. The team comprises three Kiran aircraft which carry out aerobatic displays at various locations in the country. The team is used in one or two annual public events in Goa for flypasts of 15 to 20 minutes duration. The Navy also operates a naval aviation museum near Dabolim Airport.

Military flight training

Military flight training at Dabolim is carried out on five days of the week from 0830 hrs to 1300 hrs, during which hours civilian flights cannot operate. Some exceptions have been made on rare occasions by the naval ATC, chiefly in the case of foreign airlines. Charter airlines carrying international tourists during the season tend to use the freer civil aviation regimes on weekends (Saturday and Sunday) and in the early morning hours. The blocked time is about 15% of the total on a weekly basis albeit during peak morning hours for civilian flights. Recently, the Navy released a few hours blocked in the evenings on two weekdays for civilian flights, thus easing the overall congestion being faced.

Campaign to revert to civilian status

There has been a demand in local political circles for the restoration of Dabolim's civilian status by relocating the Indian Navy' air station to the proposed Karwar airfield in the new INS Kadamba naval base at Karwar, 70 kilometres (43 mi) south of Dabolim in the adjoining state of Karnataka. However, the Indian Navy's top officers in Goa have hinted that the investment at Dabolim naval air station is ₹7.5 billion (US$110 million) and that it would be impossible to replicate this at Karwar.[25]

In early 2007, there were reports of a concerted move by the Navy, the AAI, and the state of Karnataka to extend the runway planned at the naval base at Karwar to 2,500 metres (8,200 ft) to accommodate Airbus A320s and to acquire 75 extra hectares for this purpose.[26] However, there have been no corresponding plans announced so far to relocate flight training from Dabolim to this airport or any other more convenient place.

Air cargo

Dabolim's potential for air cargo has not yet been seriously tapped. An estimated 5,000 tonnes (5,500 short tons) of cargo were handled annually as of a few years ago and may have declined since then. Meanwhile, 90% of India's air cargo is concentrated in the top six airports together with Ahmedabad. Most of the country's air cargo is carried in the belly-space of airlines such as Air India rather than in dedicated freighters. There is no worthwhile cargo complex at Dabolim especially for perishables like fish, fruits, flowers and vegetables for which there is a significant export market in the Gulf countries. Meanwhile, Goa's pharmaceutical companies carry out their export/import operations via Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport. The customs staff in Dabolim's vicinity are focused on ship cargo. The Goa Chamber of Commerce & Industry (GCCI) had been pleading for priority to air cargo for several years. The state government had even agreed, in principle, to allotting nearby land to AAI but there has been no perceptible progress in this direction.

Ground transportation

Passengers can reach the airport using taxis, buses, trains, or automobiles. Public buses go to the nearby city of Vasco da Gama, approximately 4 km (2.5 mi) away, and also stop at the closer Chicalim bus stop, about 1.5 km (0.93 mi) from the airport. Local mini-buses connect both Vasco da Gama and Chicalim to the airport. Pre-paid taxis are available from the airport. There are various new transportation plans in the works, including the addition of a second bridge. Meanwhile, plans for a 6-lane, north-to-south expressway are on hold in Goa. A monorail system is also being considered. All these plans have implications for the proposed Mopa Airport and its link to Dabolim and Goa's population centres.

Railway tracks of Indian Railways, which also run through Goa, pass beside the airport. The nearest station is Dabolim railway station. The port at Mormugao is located about 5 km (3.1 mi) away. Konkan Railway provides services to Margao in South Goa, Tivim in North Goa, Carambolim, and Ponda.

Incidents and accidents

See also

References

  1. ↑ Business Standard (16 May 2010). "Two airports likely for Goa". Business-standard.com. Retrieved 9 May 2012.
  2. ↑ "TRAFFIC STATISTICS - DOMESTIC & INTERNATIONAL PASSENGERS" (jsp). Aai.aero. Retrieved 31 December 2014.
  3. ↑ List of busiest airports in India by passenger traffic
  4. ↑ "Airports Authority of India". aai.aero. 21 September 2011. Retrieved 9 May 2012.
  5. ↑ "Os Transportes Aéreos da India Portuguesa". goancauses.com (in Portuguese). Retrieved 9 May 2012.
  6. ↑ Gabriel de Figueiredo. "A tale of a Goan Airport and Airline". Retrieved 20 February 2013.
  7. ↑ "Goa – VAGO". World Aero Data. Retrieved 18 April 2013.
  8. ↑ HASG. Series of four infomercials titled "Save Dabolim Save Goa" in Herald and Navhind Times. March/April 2006.
  9. ↑ Dabolim airport upgrading will be over by end of 2007. The Hindu. Retrieved on 18 February 2007
  10. ↑ Goa Agenda: Goa Infrastructure Report. Goa Chamber of Commerce & Industry. Undated (circa 2005/2006)
  11. ↑ Dev Roy, Atreyee and Sharma, Rouhan. New Year Goa flights on a high. Financial Express
  12. 1 2 "New Dabolim terminal to be ready by June". The Times of India. 8 May 2013. Retrieved 19 May 2013.
  13. ↑ "New international terminal building for Goa Airport". Press Information Bureau. 26 May 2006. Retrieved 31 December 2013.
  14. ↑ "New Integrated Terminal Building Inaugurated at Goa Airport". Press Information Bureau. 3 December 2013. Retrieved 31 December 2013.
  15. ↑ "New Dabolim airport to be ready by year-end: Manickam". Navhind Times. 19 April 2012. Retrieved 12 July 2012.
  16. ↑ "Soft opening of new Dabolim airport terminal on Dec 19". Navhind Times. 8 November 2013. Retrieved 31 December 2013.
  17. ↑ "AirAsia India outlines plans to expand fleet, network". Retrieved 17 August 2016.
  18. 1 2 http://www.freepressjournal.in/indigo-to-start-direct-flight-to-goa-more-flights-to-mumbai-delhi/795646. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  19. ↑ http://www.routesonline.com/news/38/airlineroute/269834/jet-airways-ends-2-india-abu-dhabi-routes-in-jan-2017/
  20. ↑ "SpiceJet Schedule". Retrieved 12 March 2016.
  21. ↑ http://www.thomson.co.uk/flight/timetable
  22. ↑ Cox, Charlotte (11 November 2015). "Thomson to launch new direct flights from Manchester to Phuket, Mauritius and Goa". Manchester Evening News. Retrieved 3 January 2016.
  23. ↑ "azfreight.com". Azworldairports.com. Retrieved 9 May 2012.
  24. ↑ "The Skies Open Up Over India." Travel Daily News. 26 October 2005.
  25. ↑ D'Cunha, C. "Room for more flights at Dabolim: Adm. Mehta". Goa Plus (The Times of India supplement). 5 January 2007.
  26. ↑ Government Exploring Possibilities opening of Karwar Airport for Civilian Air Services Press Information Bureau Government of India
  27. ↑ Illyushin Il-38
  28. ↑ "Navy copter crashes at Dabolim airport; 3 killed". The Navhind Times. Navhind Papers & Publications. Retrieved 20 February 2013.

External links

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