Uncertain Runway: Traffic slide at Dabolim intensifies Goa’s two-airport debate

Manohar International Airport, Mopa, Goa

• Passenger numbers at the old Goa airport has been declining
• New airport at Mopa has ramped up passenger number rapidly
• Mopa airport has already beaten Dabolim in international pax numbers

Did our AI summary help?

The future of Goa International Airport at Dabolim has once again come under scrutiny, as declining passenger numbers and the rapid rise of North Goa’s newer airport sharpen a political and economic debate over the state’s aviation strategy.

At the heart of the issue is whether civilian operations at Dabolim — which functions as a civil enclave within a naval airbase — should continue in the long term, or whether the airport should be fully handed over to the Indian Navy.

Passenger Decline Raises Strategic Questions

Data for 2025–26 show that the Dabolim airport (GOI) handled an average of 503,851 passengers per month up to December 2025 — a 14 percent year-on-year decline from 585,806. The drop is even starker when compared with its pre-pandemic high of 705,610 monthly passengers in 2018–19.

While overall air traffic to Goa has grown, the gains have largely flowed to Manohar International Airport at Mopa (GOX), which began operations in January 2023. In the nine months to December, Dabolim handled 138,423 international passengers, significantly trailing Mopa’s 240,479. GOI and GOX are airport codes of Goa International Airport, and Manohar International Airport, respectively,  assigned by IATA.

The numbers underscore a structural shift rather than a temporary fluctuation: North Goa’s greenfield airport is steadily overtaking Dabolim in both domestic and international segments.

Political Resistance and Economic Stakes

Despite the traffic shift, the possibility of closing civilian operations at Dabolim has triggered strong opposition from local stakeholders and political leaders.

According to The Indian Express, Goa-based political groups have warned that shutting down Dabolim’s civilian terminal could damage South Goa’s economy. The airport, they argue, supports thousands of livelihoods directly and indirectly — from taxi operators and hospitality workers to small businesses dependent on air connectivity.

Similarly, The Times of India reported that any proposal to end civilian operations has been put on hold, with state leaders publicly opposing an immediate shutdown. The political messaging has been clear: touching Dabolim, they argue, risks harming the economic balance between North and South Goa.

For South Goa in particular, Dabolim is more than infrastructure — it is a crucial gateway linking the region to international and domestic markets.

GOI - profit making asset for AAI 

During 2024-25, the Dabolim airport was among the 31 airports controlled by the Centre out of a total of 122, which recorded profits in that year. The airport is the fifth highest profit-making airport for the Centre after Kolkata, Chennai, Calicut, and Srinagar. In fact, GOI has been recording profits every year.

During FY25, GOI profits nearly doubled to Rs 120 crore as against Rs 64.88 crore recorded in FY24, according to data shared by the Airports Authority of India. Its revenues increased to Rs 313.17 crore in FY25, a rise of 14 percent compared to Rs 275.5 crore recorded in FY24.

Mopa’s Aggressive Growth Strategy

Meanwhile, Mopa’s operator, GMR Airports, has signalled a clear expansion strategy. Speaking during the December quarter earnings call, the company acknowledged a short-term aero revenue decline due to a “special initiative programme” designed to attract airlines. The incentive-led strategy appears to be working: traffic at Mopa rose 21.6 percent year-on-year in the December 2025 quarter.

The implication is that Mopa is not merely absorbing organic growth but actively competing for routes and airlines, accelerating the redistribution of traffic within the state.

A Structural Shift, Not a Temporary Dip

Dabolim’s constraints are well known. As a naval airbase with civilian operations permitted in defined windows, it faces operational limitations that Mopa does not. The newer airport offers round-the-clock availability, modern infrastructure, and expansion capacity — factors increasingly important for international carriers and low-cost airlines alike.

With GOX already ahead in international passenger count and closing the gap domestically, the aviation landscape in Goa is tilting northward.

The Policy Crossroads

The debate now sits at the intersection of economics, defence priorities, and regional balance.

From a purely traffic perspective, consolidation at Mopa might appear efficient. But politically and socially, the shutdown of Dabolim’s civilian enclave would concentrate aviation-driven growth in North Goa, potentially deepening regional disparities.

For the central government and the state administration, the question is not merely whether Dabolim is declining — the data clearly show it is — but whether Goa can sustain two commercial airports in the long term, and at what cost to South Goa’s economy. As traffic patterns continue to favour Mopa, the runway ahead for Dabolim remains uncertain.