Goa. The beach destination that we just can’t have enough of. No matter how many times you chill at the resorts, splash on the beaches, chug King’s beer at the shack and ride your rented bike along the coconut tree laden paths, you just feel like you haven’t had enough. Well, maybe you’re right because Goa will have a 2nd international airport in Mopa in three years. The aviation consultancy firm, CAPA has confirmed the same. The Supreme Court granted permission for an international in north Goa and it will be constructed by the GMR Group.
What’s In It?
The Supreme Court lifted the suspension on environmental clearance (EC) granted for the Mapo international airport project. The decks for construction of the airport by the GMR Group has been cleared and permission has been given. The GMR Group informed that on receiving the Supreme Court’s orders they now plan to commence work on the new aerodrome. Last year, the court had suspended the environmental clearance which was granted for the greenfield airport. It had also directed the Expert Appraisal Committee to revisit this decision due to the impact of the environment and its ecology there.
Kapil Kaul, the CEO of CAPA South Asia stated that the delay in critical infrastructure projects would be too costly for the consumer and the economy. He added that it’s good that GMR Group’s Mopa project finally got clearance. Goa’s state government initially gave the deadline as September 2020 for commissioning the amount of ₹3000 crores for the airport project. In 2016 itself, the GMR Groups won bids for operations and development of the airport in 2016. State-run Airports Authority of India (AAI) and Essel Infra-Incheon did not win the bid. But Pramod Sawant, the Chief Minister of Goa stated in the Assembly that airport was expected to be completed by 2021.
Also Read: Goa Sees Massive Decline In Foreign Arrivals Following CAA Protests
What’s More?
The Chief Minister of Goa is not the only one to be worried about the delay, Kapil Kaul too mentioned that the delay would likely lead to an increase in project cost. But he later stated that the impact could be minimised. He said that there would be a cost escalation but the GMR Group can minimise the impact. A loss of ₹50 lakhs per day was incurred by GMR last year due to suspension of work on this project. Under the concession agreement, the new airport would offer 232 acres of land for commercial city side development for 60 years. It would also be able to hold 30 million annual passengers once it’s operational. The reason there is a need to build a new international airport is Goa is because the existing one in Dabolim has exceeded its capacity handling 50 lakh passengers per year. And there will be an expansion place to increase the capacity to an annual 1.30 crores by 2022. Did you know Vistara Is offering Flight Tickets To Goa For Just Rs 995 Inclusive Of Taxes?
Goa’s 2nd international airport in Mapo will have a concession period of 40 years and a possible extension of 20 more years. It will be built under the BOT (Build Operate Transfer) model. Well, now we know that the commute to Goa would be a much more comfortable and less crowded one as the beach destination will have not one but two international airports in the years to come. If you’re planning to go to Goa, check out must-try experiences in this video below.