Goa Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar on Tuesday said that the first phase of the greenfield international airport coming up at Mopa in north Goa will be operational by 2019-20.
Mr. Parsekar said this while speaking after signing a concession agreement with GMR Airports Ltd, which is developing the Rs. 4,500 crore project spread over 2,000 acres, in a public-private-partnership(PPP) mode.
“We expect that the actual work to start by the beginning of 2017 and the first flight after completion of first phase will take off in 2019-20. Thereafter, in the first phase its capacity is 4.5 million passengers and at the end of fourth phase its capacity is 13 million,” Mr. Parsekar said in his address after signing the concession agreement. The ultimate capacity of the project would be 28 million, he added.
The development of this airport on a PPP basis, he said, would boost the coastal State’s economy, tourist inflow, and employment, among others.
The concession period for the greenfield project is 40 years, with a possible extension of another 20 years through a bid process. The airport will be built under the BOT (Build Operate Transfer) model.
GMR had won the bid through a closely contested competitive bid process with Airports Authority emerging as the second highest bidder followed by the consortium of Essel Infra-Incheon as third.
The concession also offers 232 acres of land for commercial city-side development for a period of 60 years.
Chairman of GMR Group Srinivas Bommidala said that Mopa would be the first airport in private sector after Delhi airport done by them in 2006.
He described airports as enginees of growth and development of a economy and promised to generate employment for the locals.
The GMR Group also operates Delhi Airport, which is presently ranked as world’s top airport in its passenger category, as well as Hyderabad airport, which has been consistently ranked among the world’s top three airports in its category over the last seven years.
GMR Infrastructure in partnership with Megawide Construction Corporation is also developing Mactan Cebu International Airport (MCIA) in Philippines.
Compensation
Referring to protests by farmers and tribals from Mopa, Mr. Parsekar promised to suitably compensate and rehabilitate them. He reiterated that the airport will be a boost to Goa’s economy, tourism and most importantly will create jobs for the locals.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi would be in Goa on Sunday to lay foundation stone of this airport project.
