Construction proposal for Rs.3,300-crore greenfield airport soon: Goa CM

The Goa government would soon float a Request For Proposal (RFP) for the new greenfield international airport at Mopa in north Goa, which would cost around Rs.3,300 crore, Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar said on Wednesday.

"The Mopa airport, including six-laning of road from the airport to National Highway 17, will cost around Rs.3,300 crore. The first phase costing around Rs.1,800 crore will be completed by 2019 and cater to 4.9 million passengers," Parsekar said at a press conference in state secretariat here.

Five companies - Airports Authority of India, GVK Mumbai, GMR Airport, Essel Infra Mumbai and Voluptas Developers - have already been selected by the state government following a request for qualification process.

These firms would submit proposals for airport construction after an RFP is issued. "The RFP will be advertised as soon as it is cleared by the Advocate General's office," Parsekar said.

Mopa airport, 45 km from Panaji, has been conceived on a Build Own Operate and Transfer (BOOT) basis. Dabolim international airport in the state is presently operated by the Indian Navy.

The chief minister said that the firm winning the bid for airport construction would operate it for 60 years, adding that the share in profit from its operation would be the most important criterion for winning the bid.

"The successful bidder will run an aviation skills development centre in association with the state government to train local talent for future absorption in airport and aviation related jobs. It will also have to employ 75 local people every year," Parsekar said.