IndiGo Airlines (6E, Delhi International) has opened operations at India’s new Goa Mopa airport which represents its "largest ever new station" with 12 daily and 168 weekly flights to eight domestic destinations, the airline announced in a statement.

The inaugural flight to Hyderabad International marked the airline’s 76th domestic and 102nd overall destination in its network. The eight domestic destinations to be served from the new airport include Hyderabad, Delhi International, Mumbai International, Bangalore International, Chennai, Pune, Jaipur, and Ahmedabad. The airline said the new network caters to increasing demand for Goa as a leisure travel destination, will provide travellers with more options, and boost direct connectivity to the North Goa region.

IndiGo also continues to operate from Goa Dabolim airport in South Goa, which remains open.

Meanwhile, budget carrier Go First (GOW, Mumbai International) announced various ministers and other dignitaries inaugurated its first flight from Goa Mopa to Hyderabad on January 5. The carrier will operate 42 nonstop weekly flights from the new airport to Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Nagpur, and Chandigarh. Go First will also continue its operations from Goa Dabolim.

India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi already inaugurated Goa’s second international airport on December 11, 2022, but commercial flight operations only commenced last week.

The first phase of the INR28 billion rupee (USD 349.1 million) Mopa airport will cater to 4.4 million passengers annually.

Addressing media at the airport, IndiGo Chief Executive Officer Peter Elbers said the new airport would allow the airline to expand its network and cater to more traffic. “The old airport in Goa (Dabolim airport) had almost reached its potential, and this new airport was the need of the hour, he was quoted by The Sunday Guardian.