Accelerating the construction work at the greenfield international airport in Goa, the authorities are trying to start operations at the new establishment as soon as possible. Aligning with this, the Chief Minister of Goa announced on Wednesday, that the first phase of the airport, being developed at Mopa plateau in North Goa will be commissioned by August 2022. He also informed that the plans got hampered due to the constraints amidst the COVID pandemic.
23.55% of the physical construction completed in February 2021
During the budget session of the Goa state legislative assembly, the CM was quoted saying "Presently construction of the runway, taxiway, passenger terminal building, ATC tower, administration building, compound wall, etc., is in progress. The physical progress achieved up to February 2021 is 23.55 percent," He furnished this information while replying to a question amid deliberations on a list of points for the state budget for the upcoming financial year.
The CM added that the first phase of the project will start welcoming passengers by August 2022. When asked about the lags in the past, he attributed them to the obstacles observed during the pandemic.
A joint venture of GMR and the government
The airport is being developed through associative efforts of GMR Airports and the Goa government. It is expected that after its launch, the first phase of the airport will provide services to around 4.5 million commuters. Further, the airport comes with a capacity to aid 13 million passengers through its facilities after all four phases are functional. Currently, the airport in usage caters to both civil and military flights, which leads to cluttering and prevents smooth operation of flights. With the start of this new airport, both the passengers and the aviation authorities will be benefitted.
