Goa govt to seek more space for aircraft parking at Dabolim

Facing shortage of parking space for aircraft at the Dabolim airport, Goa government will seek the Centre's help to get additional space at the Navy-operated facility in the state.
Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar, who will be in Delhi tomorrow, said he would meet the officials of Civil Aviation and Defence ministries to demand more space at the Dabolim airport for parking of aircraft.
"We need more parking space as airline companies, like Air Asia, want to convert Goa into their hub. They are ready to start two flights from Goa in the morning," Parrikar said, adding that their plans have been halted because of inadequate parking space for aircraft.

"They need space for their aircraft for night halt. Right now we have a problem in providing the space to them," he said.
The Dabolim airport is a part of Indian Navy's base INS Hansa.
The state government has already drafted a policy to make Goa an airlines hub by providing various incentives, like low taxation on aviation turbine fuel (ATF), Parrikar said.
Once the hub is created, the state government will reduce value added tax on ATF from the existing 12 per cent to 5 per cent, he said.