Pumping stations

Goa International Airport Vasco da Gama Dabolim. goa international airport

Goa Dabolim Airport (IATA code - GOI) is located 30 kilometers from administrative center State of Panaji at Dabolim. Since this is the only air gate of the state through which you can get to the famous Goa beaches, TOP-trips decided to figure out in detail how to get from Goa Dabolim Airport to resorts and hotels.

Goa Dabolim International Airport serves about 3.5 million passengers a year. Most of the flights served are charters delivering to resorts goa tourists from different countries.

Goa Airport is located 30 kilometers from the town of Dabolim.

A modern terminal operates at Goa Airport, replacing two outdated ones. The new terminal serves both international and domestic flights and is able to cope with the growing passenger traffic.

The terminal's capacity of 4 million passengers per year is designed to significantly increase the popularity of this tourist destination in the coming years. At first glance, Goa Dabolim airport seems too simple, however, there is everything to ensure a comfortable stay - rest rooms, a medical center, duty free, a cafe, a luggage packing machine, a currency exchange office, a mobile operator's office, a multi-level car park .

Terminal capacity - 4 million passengers per year

Civil aviation shares the Goa air hub with the Indian Navy, so regular and charter flights arrive mainly in the morning and evening hours, the rest of the time is given to the military. In addition, you can get to the airport no earlier than 4 hours before departure - this means that you should take care of accommodation in nearby hotels in advance in order to catch your plane on time.

Look out for Coconut Creek and Beach Bay Cottages, both located nearby and offering airport transfers. Detailed information about them and other hotels near Goa airport.

Cheap flights to Goa Airport

During the season, which lasts from November to May in Goa resorts, many air carriers offer direct flights. Choose the most budget options the easiest way is through a search engine that tracks the best prices for tickets to Goa Dabolim Airport on the official websites of the airlines:

Goa Dabolim airport map

Goa airport is small, there should not be any difficulties with orientation, but the scheme, nevertheless, will not be superfluous.

Airport on the map

Public transport to Goa resorts

The airport is located right between the South and North coasts of Goa: any of the resorts of the state from the airport can be reached both by bus and by train. But don't count on a comfortable ride on public transport - Indian buses and trains are often overcrowded.

Bus

There is a bus service between Dabolim Airport and coastal resorts, but the buses run irregularly, you need to be prepared for traditional Indian carelessness - they do not have a clear schedule, but there are breaks for breakfast and lunch.

From Goa airport to the town of Vasco da Gama can be reached by bus

There is no bus numbering, you need to look at the route on the sign on the windshield or ask the driver or conductor. By bus from Goa airport, you can get to the town of Vasco da Gama, and from there transfer to transport to the resort or hotel you need. Such a trip, depending on the distance, will cost from 5 to 30 rupees (2017).

Train

The distance to the nearest railway station to Goa airport is Dabolim 1 km, a little further, about 5 km, there is Vasco da Gama station, from where trains go to Margao station in the southern part of Goa and Thivim station in the north.

Vasco da Gama railway station is located 5 km from the airport

And already from these stations to the resorts you will need to get by bus or taxi. Train tickets should be purchased in advance, it is almost impossible to buy them immediately before the trip.

Taxi from Goa airport

The taxi option is well suited for both those who have packed a lot of things or arrived with a child, and travelers who simply appreciate comfort. You can take a taxi from the terminal to any resort or hotel in Goa. The car can be found near the exit from the airport building or called to your arrival through a specialized website.

Taxi to Goa airport can be called for your arrival through a specialized website

The latter method often turns out to be more successful, since in the resorts of Goa there are still cases of deception of tourists by taxi drivers. The Internet service, in turn, provides the full cost of the service even before the actual confirmation of the order. As a result, the temptation of the driver to drive you in circles (India is such India) is completely eliminated. This approach has proven to be an effective way to improve driver discipline in Europe and has been successfully adopted at many airports in India.

In addition, if necessary, you can additionally order child seats in a meeting car or a car with a large trunk.

Finally, in the case of an online order, you do not have to worry about a delay or cancellation of your flight. The taxi service independently monitors the airport scoreboard and sends a car, taking into account any changes in the schedule.

You can estimate the actual costs of the trip depending on the end point of the trip or book a taxi from Goa airport to your hotel on this page.

Video from Goa airport

Photos by: Joegoauk Goa, wiki-turizm.ru, All about India, just_drimer – LiveJournal, La Rana Viajero, in-trips.ru, Subtleties of tourism.

Dabolim is a small airport in Goa, which is the only one in this state. If you look at the map, you can see that it is located near the village of Dabolim, not far from the town of Vasco da Gama (4 kilometers away).

By the way, this name is given in honor. The location of the airport is more than successful, since from it to Panaji, which is the administrative center of the state, you can quickly get there. The distance is relatively small - almost 30 km.

The airport serves both scheduled and charter flights. Here, most of the foreign tourists, as the Indians are not particularly affordable. The airport has two terminals, one of which accepts international aircraft.

Some tourists are wary of the airport located at. And all because there are various rumors and legends about it: supposedly, there are unreasonably high prices and the service is not up to par. Is it so? Let's figure it out.

Airport historical background: Dabolim then and now

The Portuguese colonial authorities must be thanked for the fact that Dabolim Airport appeared in Goa. It was with their hand in the 1950s that the colossal construction of an important object for these places began. Under its territory, 101 hectares of land near the village of Dabolim were allocated.

In those days, when India, which received the long-awaited independence, began the painful process of annexing territories, it did not bypass those that belonged to Portugal. In the early 60s, hostilities unfolded on the territory of Dabolim Airport. The situation was tense to such an extent that some of its buildings were destroyed. Civil aircraft then managed to take off only at night.

In 1962, Dabolim was nevertheless recaptured by the Indian authorities and the Indian Air Force settled on the airport. To this day, this object is in the possession of the military forces of the Republic. But despite this, the authorities found a way to cooperate with the military. This turned out to be a matter of great importance, since Dabolim is the only airport in Goa, and the development of the tourism industry for the state and India as a whole is simply necessary. After all, foreigners need to be able to somehow get on, and air travel is the fastest and most convenient option for this.

Today, Dabolim receives about 700 international flights, most of which are charter flights.. The third part of charters, which is 240 flights, arrive from Russia. Air service is also provided between Goa and six cities in India.

If earlier the airport had only two terminals, then in 2014 a new terminal building was opened, uniting both terminals.

Although Dabolim is a fairly small airport, it is able to serve 150-200 thousand foreigners annually. And this is a lot: about a tenth of all foreign tourists of the state. The most popular Dabolim among Russians and British. International departure zones - A, B, C, domestic - D, E, F, G, H .

What services besides air travel can Dabolim Airport offer?

Although Dabolim is a simple airport, it has everything that a tourist needs, who is forced to wait for his flight:

duty free shops;
eateries;
restroom;
medical Center;
mother and child room;
currency exchange point;
office of the local mobile communications company Airtel.

Unfortunately, There are no cameras where you can store luggage at the airport. Also, there is no free internet.

Many of those who arrived in Dabolim note that the prices here are too high. For example, the difference when exchanging money is 4-6 rupees, since the exchange rate is lower. But there is no point in looking for the best course in Goa, since it is the same in the beach areas.

You can also purchase a SIM card from a local operator, but this is also unprofitable . If you still do not want to bother and look for a better offer, then contact the Airtel office, which is located near the exchange office. You will need to provide documents (, two passport size photos, a photocopy of passport pages) in order to buy a SIM card.

The peculiarity of the airport is military cooperation

The uniqueness of Dabolim Airport is that any movement on its territory is carefully controlled by the Indian military. They are located at the entrance, so only those who present documents also let through. Only those who are included in the list of passengers of civil flights and only on the day of departure of the aircraft can miss. Those who see off and meet cannot enter the premises.

Also, everyone who is going to fly from Goa or fly to this state should know that airport for civil and charter flights from 8:00 to 13:00 is not available. The fact is that military scientists are being conducted on its territory during this period of time. Because of this, tourists are often forced to experience inconvenience while waiting for their flight. .

Unfortunately, the airport administration cannot significantly influence this state of affairs. In order to somehow improve the quality of service, in 2014 a new international terminal was opened. In 2017, the completion of the construction of a civil air hub in Mope is also planned.

How is baggage checked

The baggage of passengers will have to go through a procedure consisting of several stages:

At the entrance, it must be scanned. Check in advance if your things contain flammable liquids and lighters (the latter, by the way, cannot be carried in hand luggage). It is allowed to take liquids with you in a certain amount, which are packed exclusively in a transparent plastic bag. We recommend that you familiarize yourself with.
When the baggage has already passed through the scanner, it is pulled with a special plastic tape. This means that it can no longer be opened.
Special attention is paid to the weight of things. If an overweight is detected, then you will have the opportunity to correct the weight using a self-service scale. You can do this until the luggage is tied with a tape.
Hand luggage in very rare cases is weighed. Its excess is allowed up to 2 kg.
A rewind service is provided, which will cost 200 rupees.
You can buy plastic tape and rewind your luggage with it yourself.
When a passenger checks in for a flight, their baggage is collected and a ticket is issued to them.
This is followed by the turn of checking and scanning hand luggage with a metal detector.
After passing the test, tags are issued. They must be affixed to all hand luggage bags. Also, special stamps must be put on the tags. If there are no tags or seals, things will not be allowed to be carried into the salon.

The main thing is to follow all the instructions, and there will be no problems with luggage.

What to do if there are no left-luggage offices?

There are no luggage storage facilities at Dabolim Airport. But how to get out of the situation for those tourists who fly here from the country in the cold season. In any case, you will have to dress in warm clothes. Where to put them then?

There are several options, and you will have to decide which one to use, based on the characteristics of the upcoming holiday. If you plan to rest in stationary mode and you will have the opportunity to leave your belongings at the place of residence, it is better to take them as hand luggage. Also, purchase vacuum bags in advance and place warm clothes in them after boarding the plane. Do not forget to pick them up from the hotel when you check out.

For those who are going to travel around the state, this option is not suitable, as they will have to fiddle with their things everywhere. There are two main exits:

Check in luggage storage at the airport from which you are flying to Goa. If possible, you can leave them in special dressing rooms for those passengers who go to warm countries.
If you have mourners who will also meet you upon arrival, then you can give your warm clothes to them.

These are the options we can offer to solve the storage problem. And yet, keep in mind that a bus delivers passengers from the airport to the plane.

What transport can be used to get from the airport to the hotel

Dabolim Airport is located between South and North Goa, away from residential areas and literally 30 km from.

There are several ways to get from the airport to the hotel:

Bus. This is a very affordable option. However, you will have to spend about four hours and make several transfers in different cities. Please note that buses run irregularly, and after seven in the evening you should not expect them at all.
Taxi. Leaving the airport, you may notice a large yellow poster with city names and prices - there will be two of them. The one below is the cost of the trip, and the one above is the air-conditioned taxi. Choose the one you are willing to pay for. Now go to an ATM where you can withdraw rupees from your card. Pay for taxi services and get a receipt. After some time, your driver will drive up and literally in an hour, a maximum of two, you will already be at your hotel.
Transfer. If you book a hotel in advance for a stay of one week or more through travel intermediaries, then most likely you will be offered a free transfer. If this is not provided by the company, then it is often possible to pay for this service separately. The intermediaries through which the order is made usually give the right to choose based on your wishes: the number of passengers, the availability of things, the level of comfort, etc. Since outsiders are not allowed to enter the airport, the driver will be waiting for you at the entrance, holding the appropriate sign.

Important information

There are some more nuances that you need to know about Dabolim Airport. We have already indicated that they are allowed to enter its territory only upon presentation of an air ticket. Know that you will be let in no earlier than four hours before departure . This, of course, is not very convenient for many, but usually a couple of hours are enough to settle all the formalities.

Perhaps all travelers who are hungry for adventure sooner or later find themselves in the most colorful state of India - Goa. To help tourists, I collected the most useful information how to get to Goa from Russia and other Indian cities, as well as from Goa Dabolim airport to the coolest beaches and resort towns North and South Goa.

How to get to Goa from Russia?

During the season (from November to May), direct charter flights from Nordwind Airlines, Transaero, UTair and others from Moscow, Yekaterinburg, Novosibirsk fly to Goa. The cost of an air ticket for a direct flight Moscow - Goa is from $ 290 in two directions.
There are no direct flights to Goa from Russia during the off-season. You can fly from Moscow to Delhi on a regular Aeroflot or Transaero flight, and then transfer to a train or plane to Goa. Airfare for a direct flight Moscow – Delhi – from $146. In addition, there is an option to buy a flight Moscow - Mumbai at a price of $ 212 in two directions, from where it is already much closer to get to Goa than from Delhi.

How to get to Goa from other cities in India?

If you flew to Delhi or Mumbai, then Goa can be reached in the following ways. The distance from Delhi to Goa is 1880 km, from Mumbai to Goa is 604 km.

Train to Goa from Mumbai and Delhi

From Delhi, trains to Goa depart from New Delhi and H.Nizamuddin railway stations. Travel time - 27.5 hours. Ticket price is $28.
From Mumbai, trains to Goa depart from the railway station Mumbai Cst. Travel time - 8 hours. Ticket price is $10.

Trains to Goa from Mumbai and Delhi railway stations arrive at Vasco da Gama railway station, Thivim at north goa and Margao (Madgaon) in South Goa. From these stations, you can take a bus to your desired city or drive to the state capital, Panjim, and transfer to another bus.

A train ticket can be bought for different classes of carriages. The most sold out is the sleepper sleeping car, which is full of Indians, and where I would not advise tourists to climb. If you decide to travel by train, tickets can be booked at Cleartrip.com. The names of train passengers must be checked on a special notice board before boarding the train, and then at the door of the car. I would not recommend girls to travel alone in India by train, since in India there are frequent cases of rape of tourists, and train cars are shared here, and you never know with whom you will sit not only on the next one - on a common shelf (due to lack of seats people often sell the same thing sleeping place for trains).

Important! When moving long distances in India, make sure that at the box office you do not sell a ticket marked WL (Waiting list). This means that tickets for this train are sold out and you are put on a waiting list in case someone refuses their ticket. With such a ticket, there is a chance to leave, but you can also be left with nothing.

Bus to Goa from Mumbai and Delhi

Buses from Mumbai to Goa depart very often. Travel time to Goa is 15-16 hours. Ticket price - $ 4.5 - 23. There are many places for passengers in Mumbai to board a bus to Goa (about 222 points of departure), all of them are listed on the website.
There is no direct bus to Goa from Delhi. You will need to first fly to the city of Pune, and then take a direct bus to Goa. The cost of an air ticket from Delhi to Pune is $137 round-trip. The bus from Pune to Goa leaves from the railway station (Pune Railway station) or from the Swargate stop. Travel time to Goa is 10-15 hours. Ticket price - $ 5.3 - 18.

Buses in Goa come to the city of Mapsa (Mapusa) - the largest bus hub of the resort. Bus schedules and prices can be viewed on the Makemytrip website and book a bus ticket there. On the same site, it is very convenient to lay out travel routes around India by bus, train, plane in the Route Planner tab. If you do not buy a ticket online, you can buy it at ticket agencies (Travel agency) near the bus stations.

Plane to Goa from Mumbai and Delhi

It's best if you're flying into Big City India, get to Goa by plane. Air ticket Delhi - Goa will cost you from $ 148 in two directions; Mumbai - Goa - from $ 68 in two directions.

We figured out how to get to Goa, and now let's get acquainted with the Goa airport and how to get from the Goa airport to the resort cities of the state.

Brief information about Goa Airport

There is only one airport in Goa, it is located in the city of Dabolim, thanks to which it got its name - Dabolim Airport. The nearest city to the airport is Vasco da Gama, located 5 km away. The capital of the state - Panaji - is located 30 km from the airport. The passenger turnover of the airport is more than 4.5 million passengers a year. The airport is actually located on the border of North and South Goa. For the convenience of your orientation, I enclose below a map of the state of Goa with the main attractions and hotels.

Previously, the Goa airport was a pitiful sight, and the reconstruction of its international terminal was constantly pushed back. However, since March 2014, a new modern terminal with three levels has been opened at the airport instead of the two old terminals. The new terminal serves both domestic and international flights. Despite the fact that sometimes chaos reigns at the airport, it used to be even worse, so we are happy with what we have.

This is what the old Dabolim airport terminal looked like.

And this is what the new modern terminal looks like.

Bus + train from Dabolim airport to the railway station in North and South Goa

There are 3 railway stations in the airport area: Vasco da Gama, Sankval and Dabolim. To get to these train stations, you need to take the local bus from the airport. Buses do not have numbers, and their route is indicated on a sign on the windshield. The ticket is bought directly from the driver. The fare is $0.15-0.23.

The largest of these stations is the Vasco da Gama railway station, located 5 km from the airport. From the railway stations you can get to the railway station Thivim in North Goa and Margaon in South Goa. Already there you will need to transfer to the bus to your city / beach. This is an extremely uncomfortable way to travel, as you already understood.

The distance from Dabolim airport to Margao is 26 km, from Dabolim airport to Thivim is 46 km.

I want to warn you right away that trains and buses in India are almost always just packed. Surely you have seen pictures on the Internet where people literally sit on top of each other on the train. Well, that's how it is in India. You can get on the train only if you buy a ticket in advance. You are unlikely to be able to buy a train ticket at the box office before departure. Trains in India are almost always late and hardly a reliable mode of transport. Therefore, I would not advise using them if time is running out and you need to be in time for your destination by a certain time.

Shuttle bus from Goa airport to resorts

This option is available to you if you stay in Goa at one of the hotels that provide a free airport transfer. The following hotels provide this service: The Leela Goa (from $113 per night) in South Goa, Cidade de Goa (from $79 per night) in North Goa or Sandray Luxury Apartments and Villa (from $45 per night) in South Goa.

Taxi from Goa airport to resorts

I strongly recommend that you use a taxi service to quickly and comfortably get from Goa Airport to your destination in both North and South Goa: Karwar, Anjuna, Pondu, Mapusa, Betalbatim, Calangute, Candolim, Vagator, Panaji. A Russian taxi, which is available, will take you at a fixed price to almost anywhere in the state of Goa and to other cities in India if necessary.

Taxis are inexpensive and in my opinion a great alternative to the unstable Indian public transport. You don't have to tremble in the heat in a crowd of Indians in unsanitary conditions, or risk taking a bus in the evening or at night: the crime rate in India is very high. If you travel with a company, then a taxi ride will cost you even cheaper.

If you take a taxi to the locals, you will be ready to bargain, because. their first reaction to a foreigner is to overprice the trip by several times.

From any airport in the world on a verified site.

The only airport of the famous world resort near the town of Vasco da Gama in the state of Goa (India) is Goa Dabolim International Airport. Tourists from Russia know it by one of the two terminals operating on international flights. The second terminal is adapted to receive passengers of domestic destinations. In total, the airport works with more than two dozen different carrier airlines.

From here there are flights to different countries world and their cities, including:

internal to India: Delhi, Bombay, Agra, Mumbai, Nakpur, Lucknow, etc.;
international: to Russia (Moscow, St. Petersburg, Novosibirsk), Ukraine (Kyiv), Great Britain (London), Kazakhstan (Almaty), etc.

The flight board includes mainly charter flights, domestic destinations are covered by regular flights.

History of development

The history of the emergence of the airport near the small Indian village of Dabolim, located in the central part of the Indian state of Goa, dates back to the late fifties of the last century. The favorable location of this area near the administrative center of the state - the city of Panaji attracted the attention of the then Portuguese-colonial leadership. The authorities decided to build an airport here for TAIP aircraft, which served destinations in Mozambique, Karachi, etc. At the same time, the airport was used to receive flights from the Portuguese metropolis.

With India gaining independence from Great Britain, the Indians began to gradually annex to their state other territories that previously belonged to other states by colonial affiliation. Among such objects recaptured by the Indian Air Force was the airport in Dabolim, which finally passed into the hands of the Indian authorities in early 1962.

The airport, which suffered aerial bombardment, did not carry out any civilian flights for a long time, becoming a military airfield for the Indian Air Force. Even today, after decades, it is still in the hands of the military, including for military aircraft.

However, thanks to the perseverance of the authorities of Goa, it is still possible to find mutual language with the military, because, in addition, in Goa, a popular Indian resort, there is no longer any airport. Meanwhile, for the development of tourism, the main sphere of the economy of this territory, the airport is essential. After all, it is through the air that the main movements of tourists to these places are carried out, and it is the tourism industry that is the backbone of the development of the entire state and India as a whole.

Features of air communication Goa

In general, Dabolim Airport is a complex located on 101 hectares of land. It has two terminals, more precisely, there were two until 2014, when a new terminal was built and inaugurated, connected to both terminals at once. So all the services necessary for a modern airport are provided here.

The airport mainly specializes in charter flights and hosts them in the amount of approximately 90 percent of all charters in India. It is they that form the basis of the Goa airport scoreboard: most of all flights belong to charters, by the way, every third board of them is departing from Russia. Among the Russians, Dabolim Airport is really extremely popular, it has gained just as much popularity among the inhabitants of the UK.

The Indians themselves rarely use air services - the country is poor, and the prices for air travel are exorbitant in the understanding of the average local resident. So the main part of the flights here are charter international flights, while domestic flights complete the overall picture. In general, the airport passes through a tenth of all foreign passengers traveling to India for tourism purposes.

Services, service, information at Goa airport

In general, the airport provides services that are quite tolerable for such a small facility. There is:

free Internet,
duty free shops and souvenir shops,
luggage packing;
cafe, etc.

As for the information security of passengers, for this purpose there is an information service at the airport where you can find out everything about air tickets and flights. There are a number of information stands with updated information. There is a system of voice notification about the status of flights. However, according to tourists, constant noise at the airport and an indistinct notification cause inconvenience, so passengers receive the most accurate and understandable information at Goa airport from the online scoreboard of arrivals and departures. Flight delays at the airport can also be reported with the help of inscriptions on simple boards type of chalk price tags.

Goa airport online scoreboard

About how Dabolim Airport works, you can tell the online scoreboard of charter flights. This board gives information about which aircraft are delayed, which aircraft are expected to arrive, the departure time of aircraft prepared for flight, etc. The most recent, up-to-date and accurate information on the time of departure and arrival of aircraft is collected here. Like other similar information systems in different parts of the world, the information board works in local time, which must be taken into account when applying for information.

Up-to-date information is also posted on the official website of the airport in Goa at the link https://translate.google.ru/translate?hl=ru&sl=en&tl=ru&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.goanairport.com%2F&anno=2 can be found home page site (it is in English, but the text is automatically translated), from the main one you can also find an online board of arrivals and departures, respectively, links https://translate.google.ru/translate?hl=ru&sl=en&tl=ru&u=http%3A %2F%2Fwww.goanairport.com%2F and https://translate.google.ru/translate?hl=ru&sl=en&tl=ru&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.goanairport.com%2F .

Thus, passengers have the opportunity not only to track the location of the aircraft directly from the information at the airport, but also to find it out via the Internet.

Follow these links to check all departures and arrivals of aircraft at Goa Dabolim Airport, which serves the Goa region of India. The list contains all the data on the status of the departing or arriving flight.

Video

In recent years, vacations in India have become increasingly popular among tourists. Many people choose to get to know the country on vacation in Goa. travel companies actively offer inexpensive tours to Goa, enticing with bright sunny photos of beaches with palm trees. There are travelers who plan their vacation themselves, choosing a route and hotels without outside help.

planning independent trip, it must be borne in mind that in India the weather conditions are strikingly different from each other at different times of the year. The best time to visit is from October to February. Excellent weather, many resort activities at this time are available in full. During this period, the load on the Dabolim airport in Goa increases significantly due to the large influx of charter flights from all over the world.

Goa is a tourist paradise

The smallest state of India (the former is interesting to travelers due to its unique features:

In Goa, you can find a variety of recreation. The north and south of the state offer radically different holidays. In the north - discos, a lot of impressions. In the south - calm quiet rest.
Smiling Indians, friendly and always ready to help, enchant with their spontaneity.
Sunrise and sunset fascinates with its transience.
Many interesting sights, original holidays and colorful ceremonies. Goa has an original landscape and many beautiful temples and churches worth visiting.

All this flavor attracts tourists to the state. In recent years, the influx of tourists to Goa has increased significantly.

How to get to Goa?

The constant flow of tourists to Goa poses a real problem with finding cheap tickets. Please note that charters fly only during the holiday season. They fly according to their schedule, and operators can change it at will. In addition to them, there are also regular flights of airlines. There are direct flights to Goa departing from Moscow. The number of flights is fixed, so it is better to think about buying tickets in advance. You can also get to Goa with a transfer: via Delhi, Mumbai or the UAE.

Air Service Goa

How many airports are there in Goa? The only air port in the state is Dabolim Airport. It is located on the southern outskirts of the city, near the village of Dabolim, from where it got its name. It used to be a military airfield. The growth of the tourist flow has forced the state government to take measures to expand the airport to receive passenger traffic and limit military flights. Now Goa Airport (India) has a terminal for international flights.

The first terminal was built in 1950, when Goa was still a colony of Portugal. After independence, the airport was taken over by the Indian military.

When the first travelers began to arrive in the country in 1960, it became necessary to renew the region, and the first hotels began to be built in Goa. The state authorities have agreed with the military to use the airport terminal for peaceful purposes, to receive passenger flights at Dabolim Airport. In 1966, the first international flight arrived at Goa Airport.

Dabolim airport

The full name of the airport is Goa International Airport Vasco-da-Gama (DABOLIM). There are 2 terminals in total:

terminal 1 accepts domestic flights;
terminal 2 - international.

Movement between the aircraft and the airport building is carried out only by bus. Baggage claim takes place in one part of the airport, there are 2 baggage belts. Luggage carts are available at the airport. At the exit from the airport there is a taxi rank with fixed prices for all resorts in Goa.

You can enter the Goa Dabolim Airport building only by presenting a ticket, and not earlier than 4 hours before departure. This is a feature of all In the spring of 2014, Dabolim Airport was completely renovated. A new building was opened - a modern terminal with levels and spacious waiting rooms. The flow of tourists at that time was already more than 4 million people a year.

How to get to Dabolim Airport?

From the resort to the Goa Dabolim airport building can be reached different ways:

By train to Dabolim Rail Station. This is the nearest station, located 1 km from the airport.
Local buses. Ticket price - from 250 to 650 rupees. Buses stop moving during breakfast and lunch.
Transfer from hotel or taxi.

From the airport building, you can also get to any resort in the state using buses, taxis or trains. There is a prepaid taxi stand at the entrance to the terminal. The tourist makes a payment in advance, receives a receipt and, at the end of the trip, gives it to the taxi driver.

Passport control at Goa airport

Upon arrival in Goa, you must go through passport and customs control. Even on board the aircraft issued a questionnaire to fill out - Arrival Card. The questionnaire must necessarily indicate the place where the tourist will be during his stay in Goa. Therefore, it is better to take care of renting a hotel and choosing a resort in advance.

Usually the procedure for passing through passport control does not take much time. There is a nuance to passing the inspection for those who arrived on a domestic flight (for example, with a transfer from Delhi). After passing control at the local terminal, you will have to get another 25 minutes to the international terminal in order to go through a similar procedure there.

To pass passport control, you must present:

a questionnaire filled out on the plane;
passport with entry visa.

When applying for a visa upon arrival, you must present a visa approval and receive a stamp in your passport replacing the visa.

What do tourists think?

The airport Goa reviews tourists has not the best. According to tourists, there are a lot of shortcomings at Dabolim Airport, on average, the comfort of staying there is rated at 3 points out of 5. The main drawback noted by tourists is outdated information on electronic scoreboards. That's why main advice for travelers to Goa - be very careful at the airport, keep track of the time yourself and check with the staff for up-to-date information as often as possible so as not to miss the flight.

A tourist destination in Goa was opened relatively recently, and the airport was upgraded from a military one to receive international flights only a few years ago. Now the main passengers of Dabolim Airport are tourists of international flights. With the opening of the new terminal, your stay at Goa Airport has become more comfortable. The new international terminal is a two-story building with departure and arrival halls, small souvenir shops.

The internal infrastructure of the airport contains everything necessary for tourists: cafes and restaurants, a mother and child room, waiting rooms of various classes, car or motorcycle rental stands, equipped and parking.

The runway of Dabolim Airport is very interesting, it has a length of 2393 m and rests on the sea coast and the beach. This makes takeoff and landing very unusual.