Goa's Tourism to Take Off With Manohar International Airport's Inauguration | 10 Points

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said the newly inaugurated international airport in Goa’s Mopa, named after former chief minister Monahar Parrikar, will boost tourism and transform the state into a cargo hub.

Speaking at the inauguration ceremony, the Prime Minister said 40 lakh passengers will use the Mopa airport every year, which could rise to 3.5 crore passengers. Noting that tourism increases the soft power of the country, he said: “A cargo hub will offer more opportunities for Goa. Sectors like fruits and pharma products will also benefit due to the new airport.”

Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant also echoed the statements and said the airport will transform Goa’s tourism and business potential. “On behalf of people of Goa, I thank Union Govt. led by Hon’ble PM for all the support for the development of infrastructure in the state of Goa,” he said in a tweet.

Here are some facts about the new international airport in Goa

1. Developed at a cost of around Rs 2,870 crores, the Manohar International Airport is named after late Goa chief minister Manohar Parrikar. The new airport aims at enhancing Goa’s connectivity by air by aiding the flow of civilian traffic to the state.
2. In November 2016, GMR Airports Ltd (GAL), a subsidiary of GMR Infrastructure, signed a concession agreement with the Goa government to develop and operate the greenfield international airport project at Mopa.
3. The first phase of the airport will cater to around 4.4 million passengers per annum (MPPA), which can be expanded to a saturation capacity of 33 MPPA.
4. The annual passenger capacity of the new international airport, which is being constructed in four phases, will be scaled up to 5.8 million in Phase II. The Phase-III capacity has been pegged at 9.4 million passengers per annum and once Phase IV is also completed, the total capacity will reach 13.1 million passengers per annum.
5. The airport has been built on the theme of sustainable infrastructure and has several features including a solar power plant, green buildings, LED lights on the runway, rainwater harvesting, state-of-the-art sewage treatment plant with recycling facilities, among other such facilities.
6. It has adopted some of the best-in-class technologies like 3-D Monolithic Precast buildings, StabilRoad, Robomatic Hollow precast walls, and 5G compatible IT infrastructure.
7. Some of the features of the airport also include a runway capable of handling the world’s largest aircrafts, 14 parking bays along with a night parking facility for aircrafts, self-baggage drop facilities, state of the art and independent air navigation infrastructure, among others.
8. In terms of design, the airport has extensively used Azulejos tiles, which are native to Goa. The airport’s food court recreates the charm of Goan cafés and a separate designated area will have a curated flea market where local artisans and craftsmen will be encouraged to display and market their wares.
9. The foundation stone of this airport was laid by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in November 2016 and is the second international airport in Goa apart from the existing airport at Dabolim, which is operated as a city enclave from Indian naval air station INS Hansa.
10. Flight operations from Mopa airport will start from January 5 next year, officials told PTI. IndiGo will operate 12 flights daily and 168 new flights weekly from Mopa airport, connecting to eight cities across the country. Go First Airline will operate 42 direct flights per week connecting Mumbai, Hyderabad and Bengaluru with the new international airport.

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