The airport at Mopa in north Goa, being built at a cost of Rs 2,870 crore
Panaji:
Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the first phase of the international airport at Mopa in north Goa today. He named the airport after late Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar. Mr Parrikar died in March 2019.
Here’s a 5-point cheatsheet on Goa’s Mopa airport
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“The state-of-the-art airport in Mopa will significantly improve connectivity as well as boost tourism in Goa. Manohar Parrikar International Airport is proof of the changed government thinking and approach towards infrastructure in the country today. We took the initiative to take air travel to the smallest cities in the country,” PM Modi said.
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The airport at Mopa in north Goa, being built at a cost of Rs 2,870 crore, will be the second facility in the state in addition to the existing airport at Dabolim.
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The airport will have the capacity to handle 44 lakh passengers a year in the first phase and it will go up to one crore passengers a year after the entire project is complete.
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Dabolim airport has a capacity to handle 85 lakh passengers a year, but it does not have a facility for cargo transportation, which the new airport will have.
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The new airport in Mopa will promote the local economy and be a major boost for tourism, as north Goa is already a popular tourist destination.
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Utpal Parrikar, the son of the late Chief Minister, earlier said it would be a “happy moment” if the airport was named after his father.
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PM Modi laid the foundation stone of the airport in November 2016.
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GMR Goa International Airport Limited, in a series of tweets, said the facility will boost the socio-economic development of the state.
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The company said 3-D monolithic precast technology has been used for the construction of aviation skill development centre and a police station.
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“5G compatible IT infrastructure has been created for better connectivity,” it said, adding there is option for self-baggage drop for faster check-in.
