PANAJI
The Goa government has earned Rs 31.51 crore as revenue sharing from the Manohar International Airport (MIA) at Mopa under its agreement with GMR Goa International Airport Limited.
The airport, developed under a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model, has completed two years of commercial operations since January 5, 2023.
The Economic Survey tabled by Chief Minister Pramod Sawant in the just-concluded Budget session of the legislative assembly stated that the revenue sharing has been in accordance with the Agreement executed between the State government and GMR (Concessionaire).
“The State has earned revenue amounting to Rs 31.51 crore from the Gross Revenue. This revenue, designated as the Annual Premium, constitutes an integral component of the concession fee, equating to 36.99 percent of the Gross Revenue on an annual basis,” the report stated.
The cabinet had earlier approved an extension for the concessionaire to pay the premium, moving the deadline from May 31, 2024 to December 7, 2024.
Sawant had then stated that Phase I of the airport was originally scheduled for completion on September 3, 2020, with revenue sharing to commence the following day. However, legal challenges and the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in a delay.
Phase 1 of the airport at Mopa in North Goa was completed in December 2022 and commissioned in January 2023.
Spanning 2,133 acres, the greenfield airport features a modern terminal, a single runway, and advanced infrastructure designed to enhance air travel efficiency.
Over the past two years, it has handled 8.47 million domestic and international passengers and recorded 56,800 aircraft movements (ATMs) as of December 31, 2024. It currently connects 22 domestic and 10 international destinations.
Meanwhile, as part of compensatory afforestation measures, the Goa State Biodiversity Board has received a grant of Rs 71 lakh for tree-planting initiatives in a bid to plant ten times the number of trees felled during the airport’s construction.
The report stated that since 2020-21, 639,278 saplings of various tree species have been planted across the state.
