Much against the assurance from the State government that flights from Dabolim airport will not shift to the Manohar International Airport at Mopa, Qatar Airways has decided to bid adieu to Dabolim from June 20, 2024. The decision follows decisions by Oman Air and IndiGo to opt for the swanky Mopa airport.
Surprisingly, Transport Minister and Dabolim MLA Mauvin Godinho contends that GMR, the operator of the Mopa airport, is trying to use pressure tactics at the Central government to divert flights from Dabolim. This is a very serious charge which comes days after Chief Minister Pramod Sawant dispelled such allegations, and it only amplifies the threat of an eventual shutdown.
If we may recall, Sawant had mocked such allegations against GMR at the recently concluded Assembly session. He had stated on the floor of the House that nobody can approach or pressurise the Centre on flight diversion. Godinho was as silent as the depth of the night then, and the debate ended there.
While approaching the Centre to divert flights is questionable, the fact of the matter is that the decision of Qatar Airways to change course cannot be contested by the State government, the Centre or the Dabolim MLA. It is an exclusive right of the airlines on where it wants to land and take off, which is why any assurance that they would not shift to Mopa is baseless and hollow.
We may reiterate here, that the airlines are not bound by the State government's terms of flying or landing, and are not obliged to use airport facilities as per the commitments of political powers. To that extent, even the Civil Aviation Ministry cannot bar airlines or direct a specific path of operation without any justifiable aviation reasoning.
There is no statement from the government and airport authorities over Qatar Airways, and now that the pressure is building, Godinho chose a different path altogether. The fallout, whichever way one sees it, is nonetheless an honest expression of helplessness.
The indicators were right there. The consistent drop in air passengers at Dabolim throughout 2023, including the peak tourism season of December, has been worrisome. A dwindling passenger count is not a healthy sign but also does not bode well for the viability of any airport, especially when there is another airport competing for similar space.
The Manohar International Airport expansion plans are underway and with the completion of the third phase, expected to be towards the end of this year, the airport is eyeing an 8 million passengers per annum footfall. Against such a robust growth rate projection, the positivity shown over Dabolim pales out and raises questions about the footfalls at this airport.
The only consolation here is that while the State government sounds confident despite the indicators and available statistics, it may still be too early to conclude that Dabolim is grounding any time soon. For now, the mere fact that airlines are shifting operations from Dabolim to Mopa is not a good sign.
While the plot thickens and that finger-pointing has just begun, it would do well for those in the State government to explain the basis on which it holds the view that Dabolim will eventually not shut down. Verbal promises mean nothing when there is so much turbulence in the air between Dabolim and Mopa.
