The tourist capital of the country, Goa, will soon have a second airport as the civil aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has granted aerodrome license to GMR Mopa Airport in Goa, paving the way for kicking off commercial flights operations from here soon. The aerodrome license was issued by DGCA on October 26.
Goa currently has one airport at Dabolim in South Goa.
New airport to commission in 4 phases
The Mopa Goa Airport will be commissioned in four phases and cater to an annual passenger capacity of 4.4 million by phase I. The footfall is expected to increase till 5.8 million by the end of phase II, 9.4 million by phase III, and 13.1 million by phase IV, stated reports. The new airport is around 35 kilometers from Panjim in Goa. After the completion of the Mopa Airport, the number of flights landing in Goa will rise up to 150 per day.
In November 2016, GMR Airports Ltd (GAL), a subsidiary of GMR, had signed a concession agreement with the Goa government to develop and operate Greenfield International Airport project at Mopa. Mopa Airport is built under the BOT model (Build, Operate and Transfer) and will be operated through GGIAL by GMR for a period of 40 years.
This will be the second airport in Goa. There is an operational airport at Dabolim in Mormugao city. As of now, only 70 flights land at the Dabolim Airport on a daily basis, as no landing is permitted between 9 AM to 2 PM.
