The upcoming airport in Goa's Mopa plateau, which is just a short distance from the state’s border with Maharashtra, received a recommendation by Maharashtra Speaker Rahul Narvekar, who said that once commissioned the airport would be beneficial to Goa as well as Maharashtra.
“Mopa airport will be beneficial to the people of Goa as well as to Maharashtra, as it is on the border of both the states. It will be a gateway to tourism for Maharashtra from Vengurla to North Konkan. There are many tourist spots here. This airport will help grow these spots,” Narvekar, who was in Goa on a short visit, said.
The construction of the new airport in Goa has been mired with issues, as travel and hospitality industry lobbies claiming that the current one at Dabolim, which functions out of an Indian Navy base in South Goa district, would lose its significance, and hotels located in the area would lose business.
Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, however, said that the development of a new airport at Mopa in North Goa would not lead to the shutting down of the Dabolim facility.
Critics of the new airport have also claimed that the airport at Mopa would cater more to tourism in South Maharashtra, rather than Goa.
The first phase of the new airport is expected to be completed early next year, after which the facility is expected to handle 4.5 million passengers.
Published 25 October 2022, 17:09 IST