Manohar International Airport
Summary
Airport typePublic
Owner/OperatorGMR Goa International Airport Limited
ServesGoa
LocationMopa, Pernem taluka, North Goa district, Goa, India
Opened11 December 2022 (2022-12-11)[1]
Elevation AMSL552 ft / 168 m
Coordinates15°43′56″N 73°52′05″E / 15.7322°N 73.8680°E / 15.7322; 73.8680
WebsiteManohar International Airport
Map
GOX is located in Goa
GOX
GOX
Location of the airport in Goa
GOX is located in India
GOX
GOX
GOX (India)
Runways
Direction Length Surface
m ft
10/28 3,750 12,303 Asphalt
Statistics (April 2022 – March 2023)
Passengers664,160 Increase
Aircraft movements4,841 Increase
Cargo tonnage5,239 Increase
Source: AAI[2][3][4]

Manohar International Airport (IATA: GOX, ICAO: VOGA),[5] is an international airport at Mopa in Pernem Taluka, North Goa district in the state of Goa, India. It serves North Goa and the adjoining districts of Karnataka and Maharashtra, and as a second airport of Goa after Dabolim Airport in Dabolim. The airport is developed by GMR Goa International Airport Limited (GGIAL), a special purpose vehicle (SPV).[6] It is built at a cost of ₹3,000 crore (equivalent to ₹32 billion or US$400 million in 2023). The airport is built under the Build Operate Transfer (BOT) model in four phases, with the first phase costing a total of ₹1,500 crore (equivalent to ₹16 billion or US$200 million in 2023). It is named after the former Minister of Defence and the former Chief Minister of Goa, Manohar Parrikar.[5]

It was expected to be completed by the financial year 2019–2020,[7] but was delayed due to a Supreme Court order that impeded work on site,[8] and also due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, which caused lockdowns, restrictions, and curfews, resulting in lack of labor and delays in construction. The airport was completed and opened on 11 December 2022, with operations starting from 5 January 2023 with the first flight operated by IndiGo.[1][9][10]

The concession period for the greenfield project is 40 years with a possible extension of another 20 years through a bid process. The airport will cater to 4.4 million passengers in the first phase and 13.1 million by the end of the fourth phase.[11] The airport will operate on a hybrid model with 30% cross-subsidy, and the concession offers 232 acres of land for commercial city-side development for a period of 60 years.[12]

History

Goa's current airport at Dabolim is a civil enclave operated by the Airports Authority of India (AAI) at a military airfield, owned by the Indian Navy. Civilian and military operations share a common runway, resulting in severe airside congestion. This deters the long-term growth of civilian traffic at the airport.[11]

It was Atal Bihari Vajpayee's flagship project. The Government of India had given its in-principle approval for a second airport in the state of Goa as early as March 2000. However, the project was stuck for 14 years due to land acquisition issues and local litigation.

The ICAO's techno-economic feasibility report submitted in 2013, that projected air traffic of 10 million passengers at Goa by 2035, eventually established the feasibility of the Mopa project.[13] The Goa Government issued a Request for Qualification (RFQ) for the project in October 2014.[14] Five bidders, GMR Group, GVK Group, the Airports Authority of India (AAI), Essel Infra and Voluptas developers expressed interest. Essel Infra partnered with Zurich Airports, and Voluptas Developers, which belongs to the Hiranandani Group tied-up with Vinci Airports, Rome, to bid for the airport project.[15] On October 28, 2015, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change granted environment clearance to the project.[16] The Request for Proposal (RFP) for the project were issued in January 2016, seeking bids from interested companies to construct the airport. Two of the five companies that responded to the RFQ decided not to participate in the RFP.[15] The bids were opened in August 2016. GMR Airports Limited, a subsidiary of GMR Infrastructure Limited won the competitive bid to develop and operate the airport. The Airports Authority of India emerged as the second highest bidder followed by the consortium of Essel Infra-Incheon. In October, GMR Airports Limited formed the Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) called GMR Goa International Airport Limited (GGIAL) to raise funds for, design, construct, and run the project.[6] GMR Airports Ltd signed a concession agreement with the Government of Goa on 8 November 2016.[12]

In 2016, the State Government proposed to establish an Aviation Skill Development centre in order to provide employment opportunities at the airport to local youth.[17] The concessionaire would be required to give preference to bona-fide Goans for all jobs at the airport.[18] This Aviation Skill Development Centre was initially to be set up by the concessionaire either at the Pernem ITI campus or any other ITI centre. However, in 2020, the location of the proposed centre was shifted to the airport premises itself.[19]

Project completion and Inauguration

Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone of the project on 13 November 2016.[20] In January 2017, the Goa Government declared an area within five km2 radius of the airport as 'Mopa International Airport planning area' for the purpose of regulating growth near the project area.[21]

GGIAL and the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in Delhi on 31 March 2017 for necessary support from the centre to develop the airport. The master plan of the airport was also reviewed and approved by Engineers India through a separate contract earlier in 2017.[22] GGIAL invited tenders for the Engineering, Procurement, and Construction (EPC) contract in June 2017, which was awarded to Philippines-based Megawide Construction Corporation in February 2018.[23]

The Goa Government finally put its stamp on the project by enacting "The Goa (Manohar International Airport Development Authority) Act, 2018"[24] on 5 September 2018. Subsequently, the Union Home Ministry gave security clearance for the construction in October 2018.[25] On 18 January 2019, the Supreme Court ordered the Goa Government and GGIAL to maintain status quo on the project[26] due to environmental impact. Construction of phase 1 of the airport was underway when the top court had given its order. The Court allowed resumption of construction work at the project site in January 2020.[27]

The State Government has acquired 78.41 lakh square metres of land for the proposed airport from villages of Casarvarnem, Chandel, Varconda, Uguem, and Mopa in Pernem taluka.[28] GGIAL expected the airport to be inaugurated in December 2022. The airport will have a code 'E' compliant, 3.5 kilometre long runway with Rapid Exit Taxiways. The airport will have an Integrated Passenger Terminal Building, Air Traffic Control (ATC) building, meteorological facilities, a cargo terminal, ancillary facilities for processing and storage, aircraft rescue and firefighting services and infrastructure for aviation fuel.

As of December 2021, 50% of the airport construction had been completed, and an additional 25% of the work was expected to be completed by March of 2022 including testing of the airport, which was to be conducted by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation.[29]

As of July 2022, 90% of the airport had been completed, and the airport's Instrument Landing System (ILS) had also been successfully calibrated, ensuring safe landing of aircraft and making the airport capable of commercial operations. The airport was expected to become operational on 15 August 2022.[30][31]

On 11 December 2022, the airport was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and renamed to Manohar International Airport after former Defence Minister and the 10th Chief Minister of Goa, Manohar Parrikar.[32][1] It opened for domestic operations on 5 January 2023, with the first flight operated by IndiGo.[9][10][33][34][35] Air India became the first airline to begin regular international flights from the airport to London Gatwick Airport from 21 July 2023.[36]

Airlines and destinations

AirlinesDestinationsRefs
Air India Delhi,[37] London–Gatwick, Mumbai[38] [39]
Akasa Air Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Delhi, Hyderabad, Mumbai[40]
IndiGo Abu Dhabi,[41] Ahmedabad, Amritsar (ends 17 January 2024), Bangalore, Bhopal,[42] Bhubaneswar, Chandigarh, Chennai, Coimbatore, Dehradun,[43] Delhi, Guwahati, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Kolkata, Mumbai, Nagpur, Nashik, Patna,[44] Pune, Rajkot,[45] Ranchi, Vadodara,[46] Varanasi, Visakhapatnam

[47][48]

Oman Air Muscat[49]
SpiceJetAhmedabad, Chennai,[50] Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai, Pune, Surat[51] [52]
Star AirShivamogga [53]
TUI AirwaysSeasonal: London–Gatwick, Manchester [54]
Vistara Delhi,[55] Hyderabad,[56] Mumbai[57]

Accessibility

The airport is situated 8 km (5.0 mi) east from Dargalim in National Highway 66 (NH-66). The nearest railway head is Pernem railway station, lying on the Konkan Railway. The Ride hailing services such as Uber and Ola Cabs are currently not available in the airport.[58] There are buses to the airport operated by Kadamba Transport Corporation from Panaji, Mapusa, and Margao.[59]

In the coming years, the airport will be directly connected with the nearby neighbouring districts of Maharashtra and Karnataka with the help of Nagpur–Goa Expressway, which will start from Nagpur and terminate at Patradevi by creating an interchange with NH-66, located about 20 km (12 mi) north from the airport on the Maharashtra–Goa border.[60][61]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 Sinha, Saurabh (11 December 2022). "Goa gets its 2nd airport today, Dabolim to also remain operational". The Times of India. Retrieved 11 December 2022.
  2. ↑ "Annexure III – Passenger Data" (PDF). aai.aero. Retrieved 22 April 2023.
  3. ↑ "Annexure II – Aircraft Movement Data" (PDF). aai.aero. Retrieved 22 April 2023.
  4. ↑ "Annexure IV – Freight Movement Data" (PDF). aai.aero. Retrieved 22 April 2023.
  5. 1 2 Service, Statesman News (2023-01-04). "Cabinet approves renaming of Goa airport after Manohar Parrikar". The Statesman. Retrieved 2023-01-04.
  6. 1 2 "GMR forms SPV to raise funds for Manohar International Airport". The Times of India. 22 October 2016. Retrieved 25 October 2016.
  7. ↑ "GMR signs deal with Goa government to develop Manohar International Airport". The Indian Express. 13 November 2016. Retrieved 3 January 2017.
  8. ↑ "Goa's Manohar International Airport delayed by a year". The Indian Express. 16 July 2019. Retrieved 18 July 2019.
  9. 1 2 "Goa's 2nd international airport starts operations, first flight lands from Hyderabad". The New Indian Express. 5 January 2023. Retrieved 5 January 2023.
  10. 1 2 "First flight lands at Manohar International Airport in Goa from Hyderabad". www.business-standard.com. Press Trust of India. 2023-01-05. Retrieved 2023-01-06.
  11. 1 2 "GMR Infra to develop Manohar International Airport in Goa". The Economic Times. 26 August 2016. Retrieved 28 August 2016.
  12. 1 2 "GMR unit signs concession pact for international airport in north Goa". LiveMint. 8 November 2016. Retrieved 16 December 2017.
  13. ↑ "ICAO presents feasibility report on Manohar International Airport". Business Standard. 28 January 2013. Retrieved 16 December 2017.
  14. ↑ "Five bidders show interest in Mopa construction". The Times of India. 17 March 2015. Retrieved 16 December 2017.
  15. 1 2 "Another extension for bids for Manohar International Airport". The Times of India. 12 July 2016. Retrieved 16 December 2017.
  16. ↑ "Environment ministry nod to Rs3,000 cr airport at Mopa in Goa". Live Mint. 29 October 2015. Retrieved 16 December 2017.
  17. ↑ "Skill devp centre to help youth get jobs at Greenfield airport". Moneycontrol.com. 8 August 2016. Retrieved 16 May 2020.
  18. ↑ "CM promises job opportunities for ITI students at Manohar International Airport". O Heraldo. 26 March 2016. Retrieved 16 May 2020.
  19. ↑ "Aviation Skill Development Centre at Mopa now". Times of India. 14 May 2020. Retrieved 16 May 2020.
  20. ↑ "PM Modi lays foundation stone for Mopa greenfield airport in Goa". The Times of India. 13 November 2016. Retrieved 13 November 2016.
  21. ↑ "Goa government notifies planning area at Mopa". The Times of India. 16 January 2017. Retrieved 16 December 2017.
  22. ↑ "EIL provided services as Independent Engineer for Manohar International Airport". PSU Watch. 4 January 2022. Retrieved 16 December 2022.
  23. ↑ "Philippines company picked from 3 to build Manohar International Airport". The Times of India. 16 February 2018. Retrieved 22 October 2018.
  24. ↑ "The Goa (Manohar International Airport Development Authority) Act, 2018" (PDF). 5 September 2018. Retrieved 10 December 2019.
  25. ↑ "MHA gives security nod for construction of Manohar International Airport". Indian Express. 17 October 2018. Retrieved 22 October 2018.
  26. ↑ "SC stops construction work of airport project at Mopa". The Times of India. 19 January 2019. Retrieved 17 January 2020.
  27. ↑ "After a year, SC allows resuming construction of airport at Goa's Mopa". Live Mint. 16 January 2020. Retrieved 17 January 2020.
  28. ↑ "Mopa farmers to soon receive 3 times more compensation". The Navhind Times. 6 February 2016. Retrieved 3 January 2017.
  29. ↑ "Goa: 50% Manohar International Airport work done, additional 25% by March 2022 | Goa News - Times of India". The Times of India. TNN. Dec 13, 2021. Retrieved 2021-12-14.
  30. ↑ "90 pc work of Goa's Manohar International Airport complete, commissioning after Aug 15: CM Sawant". ThePrint. 2022-07-14. Retrieved 2022-07-23.
  31. ↑ "Manohar International Airport successfully completes Instrument Land System calibration". Business Standard. 2022-07-15. Retrieved 2022-07-23.
  32. ↑ "Mopa International Airport in Goa named after former Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar". ANI.
  33. ↑ "Akasa Air Flight Schedule". Retrieved 4 January 2023.
  34. ↑ "Go First to operate 42 weekly flights from Goa's new airport". Livemint. 9 Jan 2022. Retrieved 4 January 2023.
  35. ↑ "GO FIRST / INDIGO OUTLINES GOA MOPA NETWORK FROM JAN 2023". Aeroroutes. 13 December 2022. Retrieved 4 January 2023.
  36. ↑ Shetye, Murari (12 July 2023). "Air India flight to London to kick off Mopa's international innings on July 21". The Times of India. Retrieved 12 July 2023.
  37. ↑ "Air India to launch Delhi to Goa–Mopa flights from January 2024". AviationAll. Retrieved 18 December 2023.
  38. ↑ "Air India to commence Mumbai-Goa Mopa service in Dec-2023". CAPA. Retrieved 23 November 2023.
  39. ↑ Shetye, Murari (12 July 2023). "Air India flight to London to kick off Mopa's international innings on July 21". The Times of India. Retrieved 12 July 2023.
  40. ↑ "Akasa Air Flight Network". Akasa Air. Retrieved 31 October 2023.
  41. ↑ Sengupta, Joy (19 July 2023). "IndiGo to start flight between MOPA (North Goa) and Abu Dhabi". The Times of India. Retrieved 19 July 2023.
  42. ↑ "IndiGo to commence Bhopal-Goa Mopa service in May-2023". CAPA. Retrieved 13 April 2023.
  43. ↑ "IndiGo to commence Dehradun-Goa Mopa service in May-2023". CAPA. Retrieved 14 April 2023.
  44. ↑ "IndiGo to commence services from Patna to Goa Mopa and Durgapur in May-2023". CAPA. Retrieved 6 April 2023.
  45. ↑ Mondal, Anish (10 September 2023). "Gujarat: Rajkot International Airport starts functioning, IndiGo to operate all its services from here – Details inside". The Financial Express. Retrieved 10 September 2023.
  46. ↑ "Flight Schedule". IndiGo. Retrieved 31 March 2023.
  47. ↑ (Press Release) (5 January 2023). "IndiGo commences operations from the New Goa International Airport, Mopa, North Goa". IndiGo. Retrieved 2 March 2023.
  48. ↑ "INDIGO 1H23 DOMESTIC ROUTES ADDITION SUMMARY – 05MAR23". Aeroroutes. Retrieved 7 March 2023.
  49. ↑ "OMAN AIR NS23 GOA OPERATIONS". Aeroroutes. Retrieved 4 April 2023.
  50. ↑ "Flight Schedule–Chennai (MAA) - Goa (GOX)". SpiceJet. Retrieved 3 July 2023.
  51. ↑ "SpiceJet to commence Pune-Goa Mopa service in Oct-2023". CAPA. Retrieved 14 July 2023.
  52. ↑ "SpiceJet Flight Service". Retrieved 25 June 2023.
  53. ↑ Pall, Samreen (19 October 2023). "Star Air To Begin Flight Service From Karnataka's Shivamogga To Goa, Hyderabad And Tirupati". News18. Retrieved 13 November 2023.
  54. ↑ "TUI FILES UK – GOA MANOHAR SCHEDULE IN NW23". Aeroroutes. Retrieved 22 May 2023.
  55. ↑ "Vistara to commence Delhi-Goa Mopa service in Apr-2023". CAPA. Retrieved 22 March 2023.
  56. ↑ "Vistara to launch flights to Goa–Mopa from December 15". Vistara. 17 November 2023. Retrieved 18 November 2023.
  57. ↑ Joshi, Gaurav (14 February 2023). "Vistara Begins Services To Goa's New Airport". Simple Flying. Retrieved 14 February 2023.
  58. ↑ "Flyers arriving at Goa's Mopa International Airport share painful experience of hours-long wait for taxis". cnbctv18.com. 2023-01-06. Retrieved 2023-01-27.
  59. ↑ Nida Sayed (Jan 4, 2023). "Electric KTC buses to ply between Mopa and Panaji | Goa News - Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 2023-01-27.
  60. ↑ "Nagpur-Goa expressway to come up to reduce travel time: Fadnavis". The Indian Express. 24 September 2022. Retrieved 11 March 2023.
  61. ↑ Naik, Yogesh and Gangan P., Surendra (10 March 2023). "In infra boost, state proposes Nagpur-Goa expressway". The Hindustan Times. Retrieved 11 March 2023.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
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