The First domestic commercial flight, Indigo 6E 6164 from Hyderabad carrying 179 passengers, landed at the Manohar International Airport Mopa at 9 am on Thursday, 5 January 2023. Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi inaugurated the first phase of the new airport on December 11, 2022. The airport has been named after the former Defence Minister and four-time Chief Minister of Goa, the late Manohar Parrikar.
It was a historic moment as the passengers were welcomed with a brass band at the brand-new airport. Excited passengers broke into a jig to the tunes of the traditional brass band and clicked selfies as they exited the airport. All the landings took place in the shadow of the taxi strike outside the airport. Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said that the Mopa airport opening would benefit tourism and economic growth. Goa Tourism Minister Rohan Khaunte and Union Minister Shripad Naik were also present to welcome the passengers and presented dummy boarding passes to passengers as a symbolic gesture to mark the airport’s first departure.
A total of 11 flights are to land at Manohar International Airport on Thursday. The Goa government brought in Goa Miles and Goa App taxis and KTC luxury buses to ferry the passengers to their destinations. Passengers were seen waiting in Q booking for Goa Miles taxi, while the response to the Kadamba bus transport was 10 buses to Calangute, 1 to Mapusa & 3 to Margao till around 10 am.
