The Mopa International Airport in Goa was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The Prime Minister laid the airport’s foundation stone in November 2016. The airport was built on the theme of sustainable infrastructure and includes a solar power plant, green buildings, LED lights on the runway, rainwater harvesting, a state-of-the-art sewage treatment plant with recycling facilities, and other such amenities. Initially, phase I of the Airport will serve approximately 4.4 million passengers per annum (MPPA), with a saturation capacity of 33 MPPA. In his address to the gathering, the Prime Minister congratulated all Goans and the country on the opening of the greenfield airport in Mopa.
The Prime Minister stated in 2014 that when the Double Engine Government arrived on the scene, work on the airport gained new momentum, and he laid the foundation stone. Despite legal challenges and the pandemic, this airport opened six years ago and is still operational today. The airport can handle approximately 40 lakh passengers per year, with the capacity to increase to 3.5 crores in the future. Aside from the benefits of tourism, the presence of two airports has opened up new opportunities for Goa as a cargo hub.
The Prime Minister highlighted Manohar International Airport as evidence of a new working style and approach to governance.
Chief Minister of Goa, Dr Pramod Sawant, Governor of Goa, P S Sreedharan Pillai, Union Minister of Civil Aviation, Jyotraditya Scindia, and Union Minister of Port, Shipping and Waterways, Shripad Yesso Naik were those present on the occasion.
