PM Narendra Modi on Sunday inaugurated the Mopa International Airport, a greenfield airport built at Mopa, Pernem 35 Kms away from Goa’s capital Panaji . Developed at the cost of Rs 2,870 crore, Goa’s second airport will start operations on January 5, 2023.
While several airlines have commited to start flight operations from the newly-built airport, IndiGo and Gofirst have announced to start 168 and 42 flights, respectively, from the new airport from next month.
The foundation stone of the airport was laid by PM Narendra Modi in 2016. The Mopa International Airport is built on the theme of sustainable infrastructure, with green buildings, rain water harvesting, solar power plant, and a state-of-the art sewage treatment plant.
The new airport is expected to significantly relieve the capacity constraints faced by airlines due to security restrictions and availability of slots at the Dabolim International Airport, which is a Navy airport.
Mopa airport will not only ease tourist load of the state’s only airport but also benefit nearby states as Karnataka and Maharashtra, acting as a cargo hub for the region, Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said at the Times Now Summit 2022 on November 25.
“It has adopted some of the best-in-class technologies like 3-D Monolithic Precast buildings, StabilRoad, Robomatic Hollow precast walls, 5G compatible IT infrastructure,” PMO said in the statement.It has adopted some of the best-in-class technologies like 3-D Monolithic Precast buildings, StabilRoad, Robomatic Hollow precast walls, 5G compatible IT infrastructure,” said PMO in a statement earlier.
The prime minister also inaugurated three National AYUSH Institutes in the state today: All India Institute of Ayurveda (AIIA), Goa, National Institute of Unani Medicine (NIUM), Ghaziabad and National Institute of Homeopathy (NIH), Delhi, in Panaji, Goa.
“These 3 institutions will give speed to AYUSH healthcare system. Over 30 countries have recognized Ayurveda as a traditional medicine system. We have to promote Ayurveda in other countries also: PM Modi at the Valedictory function of 9th World Ayurveda Congress in Goa,” PM Modi said while addressing a gathering at the inauguration ceremony of the three institutes.
