[2] The Airports Authority of India (AAI) will operate a civil enclave at the naval air base which is part of the Navy's Rs 10,000 crore Phase 2 of Project Seabird.

The resulting restrictions on civil commercial air traffic has met with opposition from civilian quarters since Goa is a popular tourist destination in India[7] In early 2007, there were reports of a concerted move by the Navy, the AAI, and the state of Karnataka to extend the runway planned at the naval base near Ankola to 2,500 metres (8,200 ft) to accommodate Airbus A320s and to acquire 75 extra hectares for this purpose.

The Karnataka State Government approached the Ministry of Defence (MoD) to use the air station for civil operations.

The MoD approved of the proposal and asked the State government to facilitate the extension of the runway by another 1000 metres to a total of 3000 meters.

It had given suggestions regarding orientation, location and extension of the proposed runway to 2,500 metres and also of its land requirements of an additional 75 hectares.