Military airport goa india. Goa airports. Duty Free stores

Goa is a very popular place among tourists from the CIS countries. This can be understood, since this resort has great amount benefits. We are talking about one of the smallest Indian states. By itself it represents a continuous coastline washed by the Arabian Sea and Indian Ocean. Arriving here, tourists find themselves in real paradise, as if straight out of a postcard: palm trees, White sand, clear sea, exotic temples and resorts. At the same time, holidays in India are very cheap; it is considered, perhaps, the most affordable in the world. The only thing that can darken Russian tourists– this is the presence of a visa.

Because Goa is not separate island or a state, but still a state of India, you need to fill out documents here. However, any traveler will tell you that this country willingly and without any bureaucratic delays issues holiday visas, without requiring a huge package of paperwork. Therefore, obtaining the desired permission to visit the resort will not be difficult. In order to get to this state, you need to fly from Russia. Naturally, when you travel for the first time, questions arise: which GOA arrival airport will you visit and what do you need to know about it in general?

If you have a question about which airport planes fly to in GOA, then just remember the name - “Dabolim”. There is no point in flying to another state in India and then getting to the resort from there. After all, we are talking about a modern air harbor. It is located four kilometers from small town Vasco da Gama. It takes about 30 kilometers to get to the large administrative center.

The statistics that relate to this airport are as follows:

  • Dabolim receives 700 foreign aircraft per year;
  • most of the flights are charter;
  • a third of them are Russian companies and airplanes;
  • at the same time, quite a lot of flights come from other states, and they also fly tourists who, for some reason, could not fly by direct route;
  • Every year 200 thousand foreigners fly to the airport, which is an impressive figure for such a small establishment.

It is noteworthy that the number of tourists is approximately 10th of all foreigners who arrive in India. Most often, this resort is chosen by Russians, other residents of the CIS countries, as well as the British.

A little history

Construction of the airport began in 1950. Land from the village of Dabolim was allocated for these needs. The airport still bears its name, with no intention of changing it. In the 60s, India gained independence and by force conquered lands that belonged to other colonies. For example, Portugal, under whose jurisdiction the airport was. In 1961, it was even bombed by the country's Air Force. In 1962, Dabolim became the property of the Indian authorities, in a dilapidated state.

At first, the air harbor was exclusively a military platform for the needs of military aviation. But times, of course, changed, the country returned to normal life, tourists flew in, paying special attention to Goa. In 1996 it was already a resort, and there was no point in delaying the airport expansion any longer. This year started regular flights civil aviation. Further, Dabolim was only modernized, gradually replenished with modern aircraft.

Dabolim Airport

Passenger handling and service

Most often, planes arrive at the airport at night or early in the morning. This is due to time zones and their changes. You need to mentally prepare for this, since it is unlikely that you will be able to sleep on board, as practice shows. Consider the following nuances:

  1. Before boarding you will be given special cards. They need to be filled out, indicating passport information, visa, and other similar data, which mainly relate to the place and time of residence in the country.
  2. It is necessary to think about housing in advance, since this column cannot be missed.
  3. Upon arrival, you enter the building or are brought here by special buses, go through customs and passport control.
  4. Passengers flying within the country and those arriving from other countries are processed at different terminals.

Registration upon arrival takes approximately 20 minutes, and, by the way, also occurs after departure.

What you need to know about Dabolim Airport?

After you check in, you go to baggage claim. You need to understand that this area is quite small, and there is often a queue. Finding luggage is difficult. This is taken advantage of by local employees who, for a nominal fee, will find and hand over your luggage to you without queuing. Here you decide for yourself whether to pay or not, one way or another, your suitcase will appear on the tape.

Another trick that is very common in Goa is the porter to the taxi. Such people construct their phrases to create an ambiguous impression that they are offering a taxi. Having received consent, they follow to the taxi drivers at the airport, who often also participate in the system and then take you to the right place at an increased rate. But upon reaching the car, the porter demands money for his services.

You can use a currency exchange office right at the airport. Rupees are very common in India, and in some places they won’t accept dollars or cards, so it’s best to have a supply of national cash with you. There is also a place where you can switch to local telephone service. You can immediately purchase it new map. To do this, provide the seller with:

  • 2 photos;
  • copy of visa;
  • photocopier of passports.

The disadvantages of Dabolim include the lack of Wi-Fi and paid storage rooms.

There are several ways to get to Goa: land, sea and air. The easiest and fastest way is, of course, by plane. The airport in Goa serves at least 700 flights a year, which is about 90% of all charters to India.

History of the airport

The international airport was built in Goa by the Portuguese back in the 50s of the 20th century. Initially, it was intended exclusively for internal use and served as a transport interchange between the cities of Portuguese India.

On this moment is operated by the Indian Navy. The main purpose is international tourist flights. It is part of the Hansa military air base.

Goa Airport (India) on the map

If you look at the location of Goa Airport on the map, it becomes clear why it is called Dabolim. It is located in the vicinity of the settlement of the same name in the southern part of the smallest of all Indian states - Goa, on west coast peninsula of Hindustan.

Airport code

According to the coding adopted by IATA, the Goa air port is called GOI (abbreviation GOa International). ICAO designates Dabolim with the code VOGO.

Online scoreboard Goa international flights

The most accurate information about the departure and arrival times of planes in Goa is available on the airport’s online board. For today and until the end of 2017, this is the only reliable source of information. Online scoreboard works in local time mode. You can view the scoreboard here

Services at the airport

For passengers waiting for departure, Dabolim has all the conditions: waiting room, shower, toilet, pharmacies, shops (including Duty free), snack bars. After arrival, besides exchange offices, a taxi ordering counter or cash, you are unlikely to need anything.

  1. Luggage packing. For an additional fee, the luggage will be packed by employees, but in Dabolim you can buy film and do it yourself.
  2. Luggage storage. Upon arrival in Goa, be prepared that there is no luggage storage at the airport.
  3. Cafes and restaurants. There are plenty of kiosks, cafes, restaurants and eateries. A special feature is the huge prices and low quality of the products served. Perhaps something will change in 2018, but before that, tourists tried to take food with them in case their flight was delayed.
  4. Currency exchange and ATMs. Experienced tourists It is not recommended to change all your money at once exchange offices airport: the exchange rate will not be favorable. There is an ATM near the old terminal.
  5. WiFi. At Goa Airport, Dabolim, WiFi is available in the waiting area. Free for about half an hour. Then you need to pay for the service.
  6. Smoking room. Smoking is allowed in designated areas equipped with cigarette lighters. There are kiosks with cigarettes.

The new terminal in Dabolim certainly creates a favorable impression: small but neat. The old one blurs the external picture a little. Waiting for you at the airport:

  • lengthy and thorough search;
  • long registration;
  • unreasonably high prices.
  1. Do not change all cash upon arrival.
  2. Bargain or demand receipts.
  3. In case of flight delay, it is better to take food with you.
  4. Here you can buy souvenirs and Himalaya products, but the prices will be higher than in Goa in general.

You can only enter the port with a ticket, and even then no earlier than 4 hours before departure. The infrastructure cannot be called developed, but you are provided with a minimum of amenities.

  • Taxi

    The “officials” counter is located at the exit from the airport and is open 24 hours a day. All you need to do is say where you are going and the staff will issue you a receipt. There is also a stand indicating the resorts and distances to them. The approximate cost of the trip is from 425-510 INR. Let's say, to get to one of the most beautiful beaches Goa - Palolema - you will have to pay around 2300 INR (distance 67 km). The prices are quite high, so it is more profitable to travel with a group of several people. Prices on the page are for October 2018.

    It is not profitable to change money at Dabolim Airport. Therefore, if you do not want to pay for the taxi in advance, you need to inform us about this. The driver will stop at the exchange office along the way, where you can change money at a more favorable rate, and will collect the fare upon arrival.

    When ordering a taxi, it is worth bargaining, as sometimes the initial price may be a little high.

  • Bus

    Goa airport connected bus routes with the city of Vasco da Gama and the village of Chikalim, from where you can get to Panaji and then transfer to buses to the resorts. But the buses run irregularly and are almost always overcrowded. The cost of a ticket to Panaji will be around 85 INR in total.

  • Transfer

    The fastest and most comfortable option to get there. You need to select a car of a suitable class and capacity in advance, and the driver will meet you at the airport with a name plate. The price indicated at the time of booking will be fixed: for example, traffic jams will not affect it.

Dabolim International Airport - this is the answer to the question of tourists who are interested in which airport planes fly to in Goa. Today it is the only air harbor, a kind of tourist gateway that lets vacationers into this amazing place.

The airport was built in the 50s of the 20th century by the Portuguese authorities. At that time, this region was not yet part of India, it was a colony of Portugal. Gradually the struggle for independence reached these places. In 1962, the airport was captured by the Indian Navy. Today it is still the property of the military forces of the Republic, located on the territory of the Hansa military air unit.

IN last years local authorities elected tourism industry basis for the development of the region. Naturally, tourists must somehow get to the beaches of the Arabian Sea, on the shores of which the state is located. The only airport in Goa belongs to the military, but the authorities have found a way to cooperate with them. The military now uses the air harbor along with civil aviation.

Unique collaboration

Any movement within the airport is controlled by the military. They are at the entrance, checking documents and tickets. It is impossible for those seeing off and greeting people to enter the premises. People are allowed into the terminals using lists that include all passengers on departing civil flights for the current date.

All civilians and charter flights cannot use the airport on weekdays from eight to thirteen hours. This time is reserved for military exercises. Due to such restrictions, passengers often experience inconvenience in the form of huge queues and large cluster of people. The airport management cannot avoid this in any way, since due to time restrictions it is necessary to simultaneously serve passengers on several flights, the departure and arrival of which are carried out with minimal intervals.

This situation does not suit both tourists and local authorities. To improve service at least a little, a new international terminal was opened in 2014, and construction of a civil air hub in Maupay is planned to be completed by 2017.

Airport code

Goa Airport in Dabolim is the only air transport node state, so it is not surprising that its coding in international aviation looks like IATA: GOI - ICAO: VOGO.

The full (official) name is Dabolim Airport. One runway, numbered 08/26, has an asphalt surface of 3,458 meters in length. Situated above the Arabian Sea, which makes the arrival of tourists in Goa especially impressive.

Online scoreboard

You can find out the schedule of all flights that will be serviced simultaneously with yours through the board available on our website. This information will help you determine how long it will take to register, and you can also mentally prepare for long lines in advance.

Luggage packing

Baggage at Goa airport undergoes the following procedure:

  • There is a scanner at the entrance through which all luggage is passed;
  • the scanned items are tied with a plastic security tape, after which it can no longer be opened;
  • if you are overweight, then next to the scanner there are scales for self-service: before pulling the security tape, you can pick up things from the scanner, adjust the weight and submit them for inspection again;
  • Before scanning, be sure to make sure that there are no lighters or liquids among your things;
  • lighters are prohibited from being carried on the plane, either in luggage or in hand luggage, liquids in acceptable volumes are packaged in a transparent plastic bag;
  • hand luggage is almost never weighed; overweight luggage up to two kilograms does not cause any particular difficulties;
  • film rewinding is desirable to reduce the likelihood of things being opened and stolen;
  • rewinding services available - 200 rupees;
  • If desired, you can buy the film in advance and wrap your luggage yourself;
  • after checking in for the flight, you are given air tickets and your suitcases are taken away;
  • then there is a personal search and check of hand luggage through a scanner;
  • after passing through the metal detector, they issue special tags for hand luggage, which must be stuck on all bags taken into the cabin, and then stamped on them;
  • When boarding, items without stamped tags cannot be brought onto the plane, so be sure to stick them on.

Luggage storage

Many passengers flying to Goa in winter are faced with the difficulty of where to put their warm clothes. Some people hope to leave them at the airport in Goa for the duration of their holiday. To avoid disappointment, know in advance that there are no luggage storage facilities here. The military even lets people into the terminal premises based on lists, and even more so, no one will allow anyone to leave their things here. Such features of military cooperation.

If your vacation involves stationary accommodation, then you can purchase vacuum bags in advance, take them with you as hand luggage, put warm clothes in them after boarding the plane, and then, most importantly, do not forget to pick them up from the hotel upon departure, when you completely forget that it might be winter somewhere now.

If you are planning to travel around Goa, then it is better to leave warm clothes at home. You can do this in two ways:

Give things to those accompanying you, on the condition that they will bring them to you when you return from vacation.

Place your belongings in a storage room at the departure airport or use a wardrobe specially designed for winter clothes for passengers traveling to warm countries.

Whichever option you choose, keep in mind that a bus will take you from the airport to the plane. If there is a lot of minus outside, then you will be completely uncomfortable in flip-flops and shorts. You will still need to take something warm with you on the plane.

Ways to get to the hotel

The airport is located away from residential areas. Therefore, you need to find out in advance how to get from it to the city you need. There are three options for resolving this issue.

Transfer

If you book a hotel or other accommodation in advance for a period of more than a week through travel intermediaries, then most likely you will be offered a transfer to the hotel for free. In any case, you can order this service separately. Depending on the distance and the chosen car, it will cost from 40 to 150 dollars.

When ordering a transfer from the airport, you will need to contact your chosen intermediary before departure, tell him how many passengers and things there will be, what level of comfort you prefer, the city where your hotel is located and its exact address.

If you are traveling on a budget, then you will like the third option. The entire trip will cost a maximum of one hundred rupees, but be prepared to spend almost four hours on it and make four transfers in different cities. Moreover, after seven o'clock in the evening the buses do not run.

If you have a lot of things, don't even consider this option, since the journey begins with catching a full bus passing by the airport, which you will not board with large luggage. You need to take this bus to Vasco, then change to the one that goes to the capital if you need to north goa. From Panaji you get to Mapusa, and from there there are buses to all resorts. IN South Goa can be reached via Margao, which is served by buses from Vasco.

There is only one airport in Goa called Dabolim. Its abbreviated name is GOI (Goa International Airport). And even then, this is not exactly a tourist airport: most of it belongs to the Indian Ministry of Defense. Today the airport has two terminals: Terminal 1 serves domestic flights, and Terminal 2 is international.

Goa's "air gate" was built in the 1950s by the Portuguese (at that time the state was a Portuguese colony and was not part of India). But the struggle for Indian independence did its job - and in 1962, all of Goa (including the airport) was captured by the Indian military. From that time until now Dabolim remains the property of the military forces Indian Republic, a military air unit called “Khansa” is located on its territory.

Travel time Moscow — Dabolim- approximately 7.5 hours.

Due to the fact that the airfield belongs to the Indian Air Force, military flight exercises are held on the territory every day from 8 am to 1 pm, and take-offs and landings of civil aircraft are prohibited, so all aircraft arrive in Goa either late in the evening, or at night, or early in the morning (before start of military fighter exercises).

We once found ourselves in a situation where our arrival was late, which is why the flight was delayed by 4 hours. At that time runways The air hub was already occupied by military fighters, and about 300 people sat in the waiting room and watched in silence. We were supposed to fly out at 7 am, but we only managed to fly out around 12 noon. We were lucky, and by some miracle our plane was allowed to take off between the takeoffs of Indian fighters (apparently there was a lunch break). And we already expected to wait until the end of the working day.

Also, due to the military nature of the airport, at the entrance there is always a military man with a machine gun and checks the tickets of everyone who wants to enter. Therefore, everyone must have a printout of their electronic ticket, which shows the flight number and date. Entry to the airport terminal with a ticket is permitted no earlier than 4 hours before the departure of your plane.

Dabolim Airport on the map:

Arrival to Dabolim

Upon arrival in India, all tourists are required to fill out an Arrival card; it is sometimes handed out on planes, but most often you have to take it at the Goa airport and fill it out at the counters, so we advise you to have your own pen with you (there are few pens at the counters, and you have to wait your turn to fill the card takes a long time). The Arrival card contains standard information: arrival flight, departure date, which hotel you will stay in, which cities you plan to visit.

This is what the Arrival Card looks like, which all foreign tourists need to fill out

After filling out the Arrival Card, you need to go with it to border control (if you have an Indian visa pasted in your passport) or to the Visa on Arrival counter (if you applied for an electronic visa, which is pasted into your passport upon arrival).

After passing border control, we head to the baggage claim area. Dabolim is small, so there are only two ribbons. Local “helpers” are on duty at these belts around the clock, who are in a hurry to snatch your suitcase from your hands in order to take it to a taxi, or to the operator’s desk if you did not arrive on your own. They are dressed in some kind of uniform that makes them look like airport employees; in fact, this uniform is “left-handed.”

They know our main operators flying to Goa, so when a confused tourist hears: “Pegasus, let’s go there,” he is sure that this is an employee of the tour operator, whose duties include escorting tourists to the counter. In fact, this is an ordinary Indian who makes money this way. After you and he find the counter of your tour operator (or taxi), he will begin to demand payment from you for his services. They ask for a lot (according to eyewitnesses, from 5 dollars to 500 rupees), although they have to carry a suitcase no more than 50 meters.

There is a currency exchange at the airport, but the rate is extremely unfavorable. Therefore, if you really need it urgently (for example, to pay for a taxi), exchange a small amount (no more than $50). But it’s best to order a car at a prepaid taxi booth (state prepaid taxi) and tell the driver that you will pay the driver in person. At the window you will be given a piece of paper with a fixed price, and already in your village, you will exchange dollars at a favorable rate and pay the driver. The prices for taxis to different villages in Goa are posted at the exit from the airport terminal, so if the taxi driver starts to inflate the price, you should not encourage this. We will provide taxi prices from the airport and distances to popular tourist villages in this article, just below.

State Prepaid Taxi counter at Dabolim Airport

In addition to currency exchange, you can use the ATMs located at the exit of the terminal: simply withdraw money from your card. The ATM dispenses rupees, the conversion takes place inside the bank. The issuance fee for Indian ATMs is standard: 200 rupees. The commission for withdrawing money from your bank may be different: with us, for example, money can be withdrawn without commission anywhere in the world (provided that the withdrawal amount is at least 3,000 rubles). Usually, we withdraw 10,000 rupees and pay 200 rupees for withdrawal - that's 2% of the amount. The smaller the amount you withdraw, the less profitable it turns out.

It is worth considering that Indian ATMs work differently than Russian ones. They do not “swallow” the card - you need to insert it all the way and immediately pull it out: the ATM has already counted all the necessary information. After the card is read and removed, you enter the PIN code, select the desired account and enter the required withdrawal amount.

There is also a sale of Indian SIM cards at the exit to the city. Buying them here is extremely unprofitable: they cost many times more than in the villages of Goa, and if the card malfunctions, there will be no one to file a claim with (you won’t go to the airport by taxi for 1000 rupees to exchange a SIM card for 500).

There are no luggage storage facilities in Dabolim, so leaving your luggage there while you look for accommodation is not possible.

Online scoreboard of Dabolim airport(select the “Departure” or “Arrival” tab) :

Distance from Goa airport to tourist villages and taxi prices

Table with prices from 2017

Route where to go from Dabolim airport Distance in km Cost of official state prepaid taxi in rupees (car without air conditioning) Car with air conditioning
North Goa
Candolim 47 1200 1271
Mapusa 45 1149 1218
Calangute 45 1149 1218
Baga 47 1200 1271
Anjuna 52 1328 1407
Vagator 54 1379 1461
Mandrem 65 1659 1758
We're blinking 63 1608 1704
Arambol 67 1710 1812
Ashvem 64 1634 1731
Pernem 71 1812 1920
Terekol 75 1941 2028
Miramar 37 945 1002
South Goa
Margao 34 869 918
Ponda 41 1047 1110
Cancolim 43 1098 1164
Betul 52 1328 1407
Sanwordem 55 1404 1488
Sanguem 60 1550 1623
Mobor 44 1124 1191
Palolem 70 1787 1893
Loliem 87 2220 2352
Agonda 74 1889 2001
Canacona 68 1736 1839
Benaulim 29 741 786
Kepem 45 1149 1218
Panjim 34 269 921

It is worth considering that at night (from 23:00 to 05:00) another 35% is added to these tariffs. Also, the prepaid taxi charges another 10 rupees from each passenger for luggage.

Departure from Dabolim

About the fact that you can enter the terminal only by presenting your printed card to the military at the entrance e-ticket, we already said. What happens after you go inside?

When departing from Goa, your luggage is carefully checked, and then a yellow sticker is placed on the suitcase lock, which cannot be removed without damaging it. This is how they try to secure the flight (so that they don’t put prohibited items in the suitcase after checking). By the way, it is forbidden to carry any batteries in luggage; we once had a children’s suitcase rejected because it contained a remote control for a car with batteries inside.

Lighters are also prohibited from being carried in both carry-on and checked baggage. Therefore, even souvenir lighters from India are also removed from suitcases.

This is the queue at check-in for the Goa-Samara flight at 4 am

Passenger check-in at counters international departure at Dabolim airport

At Dabolim Airport, a service is available to rewind luggage with plastic film - it costs only 200 rupees. Compared to a similar service in Sheremetyevo, which costs 500 rubles- Indians ask for 2 times less.

We noticed another feature of the Goan airport: special tags are attached to all hand luggage. But this is not the most interesting thing - such tags are issued for hand luggage everywhere. But only at Dabolim airport it will not be possible to bring hand luggage on board without tags: special stamps are placed on these tags after the hand luggage is checked on a scanner, and without these stamps you will not be allowed to pass beyond customs control. At other airports, we often don’t even attach “Cabin baggage” tags at all - and we’ve never had a problem.

In general, the Goa air harbor is small, there are a lot of people, there are queues everywhere. Baggage drop-off and check-in passport control takes a painfully long time, it is better to arrive at the airport at least 3 hours in advance (of course, if you are not traveling with an organized transfer from a tour operator).

Until about 2017, no one asked this question: fruits in special baskets were accepted into hand luggage without problems, even if the basket was not the only element of hand luggage, but was an addition to it. To be fair, it is worth saying that according to the rules, transporting fruit in hand luggage has always been prohibited, but no one paid such serious attention to it.

These are the baskets used to carry fruits from Goa in hand luggage

At the end of 2017, for some reason, this rule began to be followed with special care: everyone was forced to check all fruit baskets as luggage. But the money for them is like for extra luggage, they didn’t take it.

Nevertheless, we witnessed how our enterprising Russian tourists still carried baskets of fruit in their hand luggage: they simply did not show them when checking in their luggage, and were successfully able to carry them on board. The same tourists who asked the workers if it was possible to carry THIS and pointed to the baskets were forced to check them in as luggage.

It is worth saying that during our visit in December 2017, all the baskets arrived safe and sound, they were not unloaded onto a belt, but all the baskets were carefully brought on a separate trolley and placed near the luggage belt.

Most of all, those tourists who were forced to check fruit baskets in their luggage were worried that at the Russian border (according to rumors) half of the fruit would be confiscated by workers, and only a small part of what they were carrying would reach the owners. In view of this, they carefully wrapped the baskets with tape. Whether the tape helped, or whether the customs officers came across honest ones, all the fruits checked in as luggage reached their owners in the same quantity as they were checked in.

Duty free and food courts at the airport

The duty-free zone in Dabolim is very, very modest (about the same as in a Russian province). In fact, there is only one small shop with some alcohol and souvenirs, several fast food nooks with very expensive prices, and that’s all.

On the right is the same nook with fast food. There are no tables where you can eat and drink what you bought. Passengers eat on their seats.

Departure hall: in the distance you can see the only duty-free mini-shop, nothing about it

When our flight was delayed for 4 hours, we had to buy expensive and tasteless (and spicy) burgers at one of two food outlets in the departure area. There is no normal food here. Therefore, I can’t even imagine how to feed children here during a long plane delay. I highly recommend, just in case, stocking up on some healthier food for your children in advance.

Goa airport from the landing strip.

 

It might be useful to read: