PM Narendra Modi inaugurates Manohar International Airport in Goa

PANAJI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday evening inaugurated the new international airport at Mopa which has been named after former Goa chief minister and ex-defence minister Manohar Parrikar.
The prime minister laid a strong emphasis on boosting connectivity in the country, saying that Goa's second airport will boost connectivity and spur further economic development.


Modi laid the foundation stone of the airport in November 2016.

The Manohar International Airport is built on 2,132 acres, of which 232 acres are earmarked for city-side development for commercial purposes. The configuration of the airside facilities and terminal facilities is done based on traffic projections. The expansion of the airport will be as per future requirements. The ultimate capacity of the privately operated airport is around 33 MPPA traffic.
The current passenger handling capacity of Dabolim airport is 8.5 MPPA (million passengers per annum). When the Manohar Parrikar airport starts operation on January 5 it will be able to handle 4.4 MMPA, which takes Goa's total passenger handling capacity to around 13 MPPA.
The Dabolim airport offers direct connections with 15 domestic and 6 international locations. Through Mopa airport, these will increase to 35 domestic and 18 international locations. Also, while there was no night parking facility at Dabolim airport, Mopa airport has provision for night parking facility as well. Moreover, while there was no cargo terminal at Dabolim, the Mopa airport will have the facility with a handling capacity of 25,000 MT.
The number of operational airports in the country has almost doubled from 74 to over 140 since 2014. The government plans to develop and operationalise 220 airports in the next 5 years.
The airport promotes local artisans by creating a designated area for a flea market under Prakal Initiative the airport operator.
The Manohar International Airport aims to be a Zero Carbon Footprint airport.