Goa airport's extended facility inaugurated

The new integrated terminal building at Dabolim international airport here was unveiled today, expanding the capacity of the state's only airport.
Union Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh inaugurated the new building here this afternoon, in the presence of Goa Governor B V Wanchoo and Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar.
The terminal building is an integrated facility handling both domestic and international operations.
Constructed at the cost of Rs 345 crore, the building can handle peak hour passenger traffic of 2,750 at a time.
On the occasion, Ajit Singh said that the airport attains significance in the tourism sector as it handles 90 per cent of India's international tourism charters.

"Expansion of airport amounts to be a social connector and engine of economic growth," he said.

India being the fastest growing civil aviation market, expansion of the facilities are very important, he said.
Parrikar said the state would require another airport as the existing facility has already been exhausted.
He said Goa expects 35 per cent growth in the civil aviation sector and the initiatives like slash in the value added tax on aviation turbine fuel is one of the drivers.
"We have slashed VAT from 22 per cent to 12 per cent and it will be decreased further up to 5 per cent," Parrikar said.

"By 2015-16, the current airport will exceed all its capacity warranting the need for another airport," he said, pitching for the new airport project at Mopa, which is currently mired in controversy as the construction of a new airport there is being feared to lead to closure of the existing one.
Mopa is the need of future along with Dabolim, he added.
The new airport building unveiled today is likely to go in for full-fledged operations by December 13, officials said.