Goa will open its Mopa airport in the next two months, a state minister announced.
Speaking at the ‘Invest Goa’ road show in Mumbai, Mauvin Godinho, Goa’s minister for transport, industries, panchayat and protocol, said, “The much-awaited Mopa Airport will become a reality in 45-60 days as the trial flight landed a week ago.”
“This airport, slated to be one of the 15 hubs along the trans-Atlantic, Mediterranean, trans-Pacific flight paths, is set to redefine the logistics industry in Goa as it will have a fully integrated logistics section to handle perishable goods as well as general goods and heavy industrial cargo,” he announced.
The Mopa International Airport is located in Pernem taluka in north Goa, 35 km north of Panaji, the state capital.
Invest Goa Summit, a two-day conference, will be held from October 6-7, 2022, in the south-western coastal state.
Speaking about the slew of reforms being carried out to promote ease of doing business in the state, the minister said: “The upcoming Goa Industrial Policy will be a landmark initiative to promote ease of doing business in the state. Under this policy, government approval will be given instantaneously for all the industrial projects that are eco-friendly.”
Speaking on the occasion, Vijay Kalantri, chairman of MVIRDC World Trade Center in Mumbai remarked: “World Trade Center Mumbai will support the ‘Invest Goa’ program by leveraging our global network of more than 320 WTCs across around 100 countries/regions. The Center will also promote Goa through the diplomatic missions and trade attaches of foreign countries in India.”
Ralph de Souza, president of Goa Chamber of Commerce & Industry said: “Goa contributes 15 per cent to the indigenous pharma production of India and 80 per cent to the construction equipment manufacturing of the country. The state enjoys direct flight connectivity with 11 European destinations and the railway authority is planning to double the tracks to reduce travel time between Mumbai and Goa to less than five hours on express trains.”