Goa to open second international airport at Mopa by 2014

After being mired in controversy for more than four years, Goa government is finally at the end of completing the land acquisition for the second international airport at Mopa in North Goa. According to Swapnil Naik, Director of Tourism, Government of Goa, the state government has already acquired nearly 30,000 sq. mtrs of land and an additional 50,000 sq. mtrs will be acquired by June 2010 for the Greenfield airport which will be Public-Private-Partnership (PPP) venture on Build Operate and Transfer (BoT) model. Naik further informed that International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) conducted a feasibility study on the site of the proposed new airport and has given its approval for the same.

The state government, which received a nod from Union cabinet in 2000 recently received the ‘go ahead’ from the central government for the second airport. The state government will roll out global tenders for PPP (Public Private Partnership) next month and will finalise the private player by year-end. The second international airport is slated to commence operations within three years of appointing a private partner.