Pramod Sawant was responding to a calling attention motion by south Goa legislators in the state assembly
PANAJI: The Goa government will ask the Union civil aviation ministry not to allow existing international flights to Dabolim airport to shift their operations to the new Mopa airport, chief minister Pramod Sawant told the state assembly.
Sawant, who was responding to a calling attention motion by south Goa legislators across party lines, said the state cabinet has discussed the issue.
“We will specially write to the aviation minister to reiterate that no existing flight be shifted. The tourism minister has also written that under the open sky policy, new international flights should be given permission at Mopa but the existing flights should not be given permission to shift. I will personally intervene and convince them,” Sawant said.
The chief minister also assured lawmakers that civilian flights will continue from Dabolim. “We will not give Dabolim airport wholly to the Navy. The operations there will be maintained. We will write to the defence ministry that the infrastructure which has been created there is important for Goa’s tourism,” Sawant added.
