Global infrastructure companies such as Germany's Hochtief Aktiengesellschaft, French firm Vinci Construction, South Korea's Incheon International Airport and Malaysia Airport Holdings have expressed initial interest in the upcoming Rs.3,000-crore airport in Mopa, Goa. The port city's local government floated an initial invitation or a “request for qualification“ on October 3. “The mails have come responding to the RFQ. Other companies which have shown interest include Spain's Ferrovial, apart from Indian infrastructure majors such as the GMR Group, the GVK Group and the Essel Group,“ said a person close to the development who didn't want to be named. A pre-bid meeting will be held in Goa on November 3 and the last date for receiving applications is December 12. None of the companies responded to an emailed query before the story went to print.
Hochtief 's fully-owned AviAlliance specialises in airport construction and owns stakes in the Athens International Airport, the Budapest Ferenc Liszt International Airport, as well as those in Dusseldorf and Hamburg. Vinci Airports operates 23 airports -10 in Portugal, 10 in France and three in Cambodia. Most of them are in the form of public private partnership. Incheon operates one of the busiest, fastest and most efficient airports in the world. Malaysia Airports is GMR's partner at its airports in Delhi and Hyderabad. An airport in Goa can be highly lucrative, thanks to its popularity among local and international tourists as a holiday destination.Goa's current airport at Dabolim caters to both civil and defence aviation. The proposal for a new airport at Goa has been pending for almost a decade and half.
The government had in March 2000 given the in-principal approval for this airport and at the time had recommended closure of the existing airport once operations at the new airport started. In June 2010, the government reviewed its decision and said operations at both airports would continue. The airport's location has been cause for debate with airlines and local businessmen complaining this would take the location away from north Goa, which is the heart of all trade in the city . Mopa is located in southern Goa.
The local businessmen had raised the issue with Narendra Modi when he was campaigning before the recently held general elections Goa's new airport will be built in four phases, with the first phase costing a total of Rs.1,500 crore. The airport will cater to 4.4 million passengers in the first phase and 13.1 million by the end of the fourth phase. The RFQ didn't specify a date on the start of commercial operations.
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