Among other metro cities like Mumbai and Delhi which are all set to get their second airport in the coming years, there will be another city in India which would have a second International Airport within its city bounds and that will be Goa. The city will get a second airport in Mopa and will be developed by GMR, the same company which manages Delhi IGI airport. The word comes from the aviation consultation firm, CAPA, which has said that the second international airport in Goa could become functional in the next three years.
GMR Wins Bid for New Goa Airport
There was a suspension placed on the Environmental Clearance (EC) for the construction of the airport which has now been lifted by the Supreme Court. This paves way for the start of the construction of the Goa international airport. GMR has also said that it plans to start work as soon as possible. GMR had beat state-owned AAI and Essel Infra-Incheon to bag the tender for the construction of Goa International Airport for which the work is worth Rs 3,000 crore.
Capacity of New Airport to be 3 Crore Per Annum
The new airport also offers 232 acres of land for commercial city side development which will be for a period of 60 years. As per the estimates, the new airport in Goa would be able to handle 3 million passengers annually once it is operational. The airport in Dabolim, which is already the prime airport for Goa is operating way above it capacity of 50 lakh passengers a year and AAI has already started expansion project to bump up the capacity to 1.3 crore passengers a year till 2022.
As per the project details, currently, it is known that the concession period for the airport would be 40 years and there would be another extension possible for 20 years, following a bid process. Also, the airport would be built under a BOT (Build Operate Transfer) model.