Porvorim: Chief minister Pramod Sawant said that the five to seven flights shifted to Manohar International Airport, Mopa, from Goa International Airport, Dabolim, had no impact on hotels. He said that he would write to Union govt on Tuesday to restart the Air India flight from Goa to London, which was recently cancelled.Sawant said the shifting of flights is having a small impact on the taxi business. He also said that since the Mopa airport began functioning, Goa has been handling twice the number of flights.Calangute MLA Michael Lobo said that former CM Manohar Parrikar and Sawant assured the House that not a single flight would be shifted from Dabolim to Mopa, and that new airlines would connect Goa to other parts of the country and the world from Mopa. He questioned whether govt carried out any feasibility study to determine if two airports can coexist in the state.The CM also said that over Rs 65 crore in revenue was earned from Mopa airport. He said govt is upgrading infrastructure at the Dabolim airport so that it continues operations and that govt is committed to increasing the number of flights to Dabolim.Sawant also said that even if tourists land at Mopa airport, they travel to the south as they prefer to stay there, and there is no impact on the hotel industry. He added that the cruise terminal at Vasco is operational and will bring more tourists to the state.“Dabolim airport will not close,” said Sawant. His statement on writing to Centre to restart the Air India flight to London came after Lobo raised the issue. The Calangute MLA said that the Air India direct flight was always full, and that the cancellation created inconvenience for people of the state who want to travel to London. He urged govt to immediately take up the matter with Centre.
