PM Modi Inaugurates Mopa International Airport In Goa
Goa, 11th December 2022: Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Mopa International Airport in Goa on Sunday (11th December). The foundation stone of this international airport was laid by him in November 2016. This is the second airport in Goa after Dabolim. Several airlines, such as IndiGo and GoFirst, have already announced plans to start over 200 flights from the new airport in January. Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant and Union Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia were present with PM Modi during this period.
Developed at a cost of approximately Rs 2,870 crores, the airport has been built keeping in mind sustainable infrastructure. The new international airport is located in the northern part of Goa, about 35 km from Panaji, the capital of Goa. The in-principle approval to the Government of Goa to set up a greenfield airport at Mopa village was granted by the Center.
The operationalization of the airport is expected to boost the socio-economic development of the state and cater to the needs of the tourism industry. It has the potential to serve as a major logistics hub, directly connecting several domestic and international destinations.
Multi-modal connectivity is also planned for this airport. Being a world-class airport, it will also provide an opportunity for people to visit Goa. Along with this new airport in Goa, there were also rumours of the closure of the old airport. The Union Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA), however, has made it clear that the old airport in Goa will not be closed due to the new (MOPA) airport.
The existing airport in Goa is a civil enclave and a defence air base belonging to the Indian Navy, for which a terminal building is maintained by the Airports Authority of India (AAI). The Civil Enclave is an airport that is used for both military and civil aviation.
