Goa’s Mopa International Greenfield Airport: Sustainable infrastructure, facilities, distance

Built over 700,000 square feet, the terminal at Mopa airport will have the capacity to process approximately 1,000 inbound and outbound passengers an hour during peak hours. (Image via Twitter/@VinamraLongani)

Mopa International Greenfield Airport, Goa’s second airport, will be inaugurated today. Built at the cost of Rs 2,870 crore and located in Pernem taluka in north Goa, the full-service airport will begin operations from January 5, 2023.

While the Dabolim airport offers direct connections with 15 domestic and six international locations, connectivity will now increase to 35 domestic and 18 international locations with the new airport. So far, two airlines - Oman Air and IndiGo - have announced flight operations at Mopa airport. IndiGo has announced 12 daily and 168 weekly new flights to and from the new airport effective from January 5, 2023. It will be IndiGo’s largest-ever station.

There is no cargo terminal at Dabolim, the Mopa airport, however, will have the facility with a handling capacity of 25,000 MT.

The airport will have 14 parking bays along with a night parking facility for aircraft, self-baggage drop facilities, state-of-the-art and independent air navigation infrastructure, 5G compatible Internet infrastructure, among others.

The airport has been built on the theme of sustainable infrastructure and has a solar power plant, green buildings, LED lights on the runway, besides rainwater harvesting, state-of-the-art sewage treatment plant with recycling facilities. It has adopted some of the best-in-class technologies like 3D Monolithic precast buildings, StabilRoad, Robomatic Hollow precast walls, 5G compatible IT infrastructure.

No name yet: Ahead of the inauguration, a debate is raging over naming the airport after Goa’s first chief minister Dayanand Bandodkar, former Union Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar or first Goa Opposition leader Jack de Sequeira. No formal announcement has been made yet. Chief Minister Pramod Sawant has clarified that the names will be sent to Union Civil Aviation Ministry for a final decision.

Terminal: Extending over an area of 700,000 square feet, the terminal will have the capacity to process approximately 1,000 inbound and outbound passengers an hour during peak hours. The airport has extensively used Azulejos (hand-painted ceramic tiles) which are made only in Goa. The food court also recreates the charm of a typical Goan cafe. 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.

The airport will have a designated area for a curated flea market. (Image: Twitter/@cbdhage)

Passenger count: The airport is being developed in four phases, with the first phase designed to accommodate approximately 4.4 million passengers per annum. The passenger handling capacity will be gradually increased to 5.8 million passengers per annum in the second phase and then to 9.4 million passengers per annum in the third phase. The airport will be able to handle 13.1 million passengers per annum upon completion of the fourth and final phase by 2045. The ultimate potential will be 28 million passengers per annum, according to government data.

The phased development will involve the continuous expansion of terminal, commercial and cargo aprons, taxiways, and aviation facilities.

The current passenger handling capacity of the Dabolim airport is 8.5million passengers per annum.

The airport is being developed in four phases till 2045. (Image: Twitter/VinamraLongani)

Runway: The airport will feature a single runway (09/27), which will be 3,750m-long and 60m-wide. The runway is designed to accommodate a Boeing 777-200.

The runway will have two rapid exit ways interconnected with taxiways. The taxiway will be 3,750m-long and 25m-wide. Runway (09 – 27) will be constructed for Code E in the initial phase which will be augmented for code F in phase 3, which will enable operation of Airbus A380.

Aprons & Hangars: Aprons are planned to park 18 Code C aircrafts in Phase 1 development. For now, there will be one hangar and adequate space for parking of 2 code C aircraft (aeroplane and helicopter).

It may be recalled that in August 2016, GMR Goa International Airport Limited (GGIAL), a subsidiary of GMR Infrastructure, was awarded the 40-year design, build, finance, operate and transfer (DBFOT) contract for Mopa with an option to extend the period for an additional 20 years.

Test flight: In September this year, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) had conducted the first test flight at Goa's Mopa International Greenfield Airport. As a part of testing protocol, an IndiGo A320 commercial flight from Mumbai landed at Mopa Airport's new runway.

Boost to economy: The Mopa airport is expected to boost the state economy that is dependent on tourism. The tourism industry in Goa directly contributes 16.43 percent towards the state’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and also provides employment to nearly 35 percent of the state’s population that is dependent on the sector. The new airport will generate up to two lakh jobs within the next few years.

Tourist arrivals: According to government data, between March and May 2022, 19,40,683 domestic and 33,841 foreign tourists visited Goa. In 2021, there were 33,08,089 tourist arrivals which was an increase from the previous number of 32,58,715 tourists in 2020. The tourist arrivals have averaged 22,01,752 from December 1997 to 2021.