Team Goemkarponn
PANAJI: The Goa government has admitted that it has not conducted any impact assessment to determine the operational and economic consequences of Manohar International Airport (MIA) at Mopa on Goa’s existing airport at Dabolim, despite a significant shift of international airlines and a sharp decline in passenger traffic at the South Goa airport.
The admission came in a written reply by Chief Minister and Civil Aviation Minister Dr Pramod Sawant to an Unstarred Question tabled by St Andre MLA Viresh Borkar in the Goa Legislative Assembly.
Asked whether the government had undertaken any assessment of Mopa’s impact on Dabolim’s passenger traffic, charter flights, aircraft movements and commercial viability, Sawant replied, “No sir.”
The government, however, maintained that it continues to promote a dual-airport system, with Mopa operated by GMR and Dabolim managed by the Airports Authority of India (AAI). According to the government, the policy is aimed at maintaining air connectivity and supporting tourism across Goa.
Data placed before the House, meanwhile, indicates a substantial decline in Dabolim’s international passenger traffic following the commissioning of Mopa.
Several major international airlines shifted their operations from Dabolim to Mopa after the latter became operational. TUI moved its Gatwick operations on April 1, 2023, followed by Air India shifting its Heathrow and Gatwick services on July 19. Oman Air moved its Muscat operations on October 28, 2023, while SpiceJet shifted its Pune and Delhi services.
The migration continued in 2024, with Aeroflot relocating its operations on May 13, Qatar Airways moving its Doha service on June 20 and Air Arabia shifting its Sharjah operations on October 27.
The shift has coincided with a steep decline in international passenger traffic at Dabolim. The airport handled 4,81,913 international passengers in 2023, but the figure fell to 3,02,130 in 2024 and further to 2,06,046 in 2025 — a decline of more than 57 per cent over two years.
The decline continued into 2026, with Dabolim recording only 60,028 international passengers during the first six months of the year. April witnessed an exceptionally low figure of just 260 international passengers.
Aircraft movements at Dabolim have also declined steadily, from 55,080 in 2022 to 48,195 in 2023, 43,747 in 2024 and 40,701 in 2025. The airport recorded 18,510 aircraft movements between January and June 2026.
Mopa, meanwhile, has witnessed a steady expansion in operations. After recording no international traffic during the initial period of operations in 2023, the airport handled 1,624 international aircraft movements in 2024 and 2,608 in 2025. It also recorded more than 32,800 domestic aircraft movements in 2025.
The government also informed the House that separate information on chartered flight arrivals at Dabolim is not maintained on the AAI website. It further stated that Mopa has established international connections to destinations including Dubai and Bahrain, while Air India’s London Gatwick service from Mopa is currently suspended.
The figures have raised questions over the long-term viability and utilisation of Dabolim amid the state’s continued commitment to operating two airports, particularly in the absence of any government-led impact assessment on the effect of Mopa on the AAI-run facility.
