A long wait ends: Mopa takes off today as first flight set to land

Panaji: The long wait for Goa’s second international airport to start operations ends on Thursday, as the first commercial flight is all set to touch down at the Manohar International Airport, bringing passengers from Hyderabad. The Indigo flight 6E 6145 will land at 9am, followed by flights from Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Pune, and Chennai. Go First will also commence flights on Thursday, bringing in passengers from Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Jaipur, and Mumbai.
The first flight will be welcomed with a traditional water gun salute to mark the historic occasion.
However, taxi operators from Pernem could mar the aviation milestone. Developed at a cost of around Rs 2,870 crore, the GMR Group will operate the Mopa airport through its subsidiary, GMR Goa International Airport Limited (GGIAL).
“We are fully prepared to commence domestic operations at the Manohar International Airport and Indigo and Go First will be commencing flights on the first day. We are fully geared up to welcome the passengers that are coming and those who will be departing from here,” said Ranganathan Venkata Sheshan, the president and chief executive officer of GGIAL.
GGIAL plans to roll out the red carpet on the first day, offering live music and a tour of the airport to the first fliers.
“As an airport operator, we have done all that is required to ensure that the passengers have a pleasant experience. Besides this, our airline partners, Indigo and Go First, are making sure that all requisite things are in place to give the passengers a good experience,” said Sheshan.
Low-cost carrier IndiGo was the first to announce flights from Mopa, with 12 daily and a total of 168 weekly flights to eight major cities in the country. Mopa will be IndiGo’s largest ever new station launch, a move that aims to cater to the increasing demand for flights to Goa.
The existing Goa International Airport at Dabolim will continue to operate, and IndiGo said it will continue to offer flights to Dabolim.
Inaugurated by PM Narendra Modi on December 11, Mopa will provide direct connectivity to North Goa’s tourist belt and the state’s buzzing nightlife.
However, concerns about connectivity with the airport, which is at least an hour away from Calangute, Panaji, and even more from Margao, persist. Taxi operators from Pernem have been protesting for the past few days, demanding a yellow-black taxi counter and objecting to the Goa taxi app introduced by the Pramod Sawant government.
Kadamba Transport Corporation Limited (KTCL) has said that it will operate electric buses to ferry passengers from Mopa (GOX) to Margao via Panaji. Starting from 8am, a 49-seater electric bus will depart from the new airport, while buses to the airport will commence as early as 4am from Margao. KTCL will also operate buses from Sinquerim and Calangute to ferry tourists to the airport.
“All the arriving passengers will be given a red carpet welcome on arrival with music and band. All passengers who are about to board and who are arriving will be given an opportunity to see the airport and will then be given connecting transport,” said Sheshan.
Flights to Ahmedabad, Jaipur, and Chandigarh will start from Friday.
Centre nod to airport name:
The Union cabinet has given a ex-post facto approval for naming of Goa’s second International Airport at Mopa, as ‘Manohar International Airport – Mopa, Goa’, as a mark of tribute to late Manohar Parrikar, former defence minister and four-time Goa chief minister.