The much-awaited Mopa International Airport in Goa will be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday -- a milestone for India's smallest state in terms of area and one of the most-popular tourist destinations in the sub-continent.
The new Greenfield airport will boost the socio-economic development of the state and serve the needs of the tourism industry.
Goa's current airport at Dabolim is a civil enclave operated by the Airport Authority of India (AAI) at a military airfield owned by the Indian Navy.
The new airport is being developed by GMR Goa International Airport Limited (GGIAL), a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV).
It has the potential of serving as a key logistics hub, directly connecting many domestic and international destinations. It is also planned for the airport to have multi-modal connectivity.
The Mopa International Airport is located in Pernem taluka in North Goa, 35 km north of Panaji, the state capital.
The airport, slated to be one of the 15 hubs along the trans-Atlantic, Mediterranean, trans-Pacific flight paths, is set to redefine the passenger and logistics industry in Goa as it will have a fully integrated logistics section to handle perishable goods as well as general goods and heavy industrial cargo.
The foundation stone of the airport was laid by the Prime Minister in November 2016.
Developed at a cost of around Rs 2,870 crore, the airport has been built on the theme of sustainable infrastructure and has solar power plant, green buildings, LED lights on the runway, rain-water harvesting, state-of-the-art sewage treatment plant with recycling facilities, among other such facilities.
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. Some of the features of the airport include a runway capable of handling world’s largest aircraft, 14 parking bays along with night parking facility for aircraft, self-baggage drop facilities, state-of-the-art and independent air navigation infrastructure, among others.
Initially, phase I 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, an official press statement issued here said.
While being a world-class airport, the airport will also provide visitors a feel and experience of Goa. The airport has extensively used Azulejos tiles, which are native to Goa. The food court also recreates the charm of a typical Goan café. It will also have a designated area for a curated flea market where local artisans and craftsmen will be encouraged to display and market their wares.