Airport on goa city name. What to do if there are no left-luggage offices? Dabolim Airport - Goa's air gate

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 airport near the small Indian village of Dabolim, located in the central part of the Indian Goa, has been going on since the late fifties of the last century. The good location of this area near administrative center 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 airport anymore. 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 necessary modern airport services 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. They form the basis of the scoreboard. Goa airport: most of all flights are specifically charters, by the way, every third of them is a flight 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 the services air traffic- 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, the airport has help desk where you can find out everything about air tickets, 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 slurred alerts are inconvenient, so passengers receive the most accurate and understandable information at Goa airport from online scoreboard arrivals and departures of aircraft. Flight delays at the airport can also be reported with the help of inscriptions on simple boards such as 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 those prepared for flight aircraft 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 you can find the main website page (it is in English, but the text is automatically translated), from the main one you can also find an online arrivals and departures board, 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

I have long dreamed of flying to Goa... Arriving at Dabolim airport, I was even a little surprised: control and baggage claim took a minimum amount of time. Especially when compared with the registration that was waiting for me on the way back.

Believe it or not, but I, like all other tourists, had to go through 5 circles of hell. In fact, registration with all the checks, introscopes, queues dragged on for 3 hours! Nerves, emotions... There were no traces of rest at the time of getting on the plane.

Since the airport is a military one, security checks are strict here. I passed a similar check only at the Sharma airport. Just imagine, in order to enter the air harbor, you must present a ticket. Here is the first line. Otherwise, there is no way to enter the territory. The next, like a familiar procedure: transillumination of luggage. Well, there is only one device at the entrance. I had to stand a kilometer-long queue in order to get a special sticker for things. Without it, I assure you, luggage will not be accepted! As for registration, then with this more or less. Visa control, and generally passed not noticeably. At this stage, I exhaled, but in vain. It turns out that dessert was waiting for me - screening hand luggage and me. Friends, standing in line more than an hour. This is something! I didn't like the airport

• work organization;
• the need to arrive at the airport in advance;
• not split queues;
• lack of pointers.

And finally, if you suddenly decide to have a bite to eat at the airport, be prepared to pay a 10% service charge.

There is only one airport in Goa called Dabolim. Its abbreviated name is GOI (Goa International Airport). And yes, it's not really tourist airport A: Most of it belongs to the Ministry of Defense of India. Today the airport has two terminals: Terminal 1 serves domestic flights, and Terminal 2 - international.

The "air gate" of Goa 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 the independence of India did its job - and in 1962, all of Goa (including the airport) was captured by the Indian military. Since that time, and until now, Dabolim has remained the property of the military forces of the Indian Republic, a military air unit called "Khansa" has been located on its territory.

Travel time Moscow — Dabolim- Approximately 7.5 hours.

Dabolim military airport

Due to the fact that the airfield belongs to the Indian Air Force, military flight exercises are held on the territory daily from 8 am to 13:00, and takeoffs and landings civil aircraft are prohibited, so all planes in Goa arrive either late in the evening, or at night, or early in the morning (before the start of military fighter exercises).

We once got into a situation where ours was late with arrival, 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 it turned out to fly out only around 12 noon. We were lucky, and by some miracle our plane was allowed to take off between 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 orientation of the airport, there is always a military man with a machine gun at the entrance to it and checks the tickets of everyone who wants to enter. Therefore, everyone must have a printout of their electronic ticket, where you can see the number and date of the flight. Entrance to the terminal with a ticket is allowed no earlier than 4 hours before the departure of your aircraft.

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 distributed on planes, but most often you have to take it already 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 on the counters, and wait for your turn to fill out 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 how 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 the 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 go to the baggage claim belt. Dabolim is small, so there are only two ribbons here. Local “helpers” are on duty around the clock at these tapes, who are in a hurry to snatch your suitcase out of your hands in order to take it to a taxi, or to the operator’s desk if you didn’t fly on your own. They are dressed in some kind of uniform that makes them look like airport employees, in fact, this uniform is “left”.

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 earns money in this way. After you and him find the counter of your tour operator (or taxi), he will begin to demand payment from you for his services. They ask 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 exchange 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 say that you will pay the driver later. In the window you will be given a piece of paper with a fixed price, and already being in your village, you will exchange dollars for favorable exchange rate and pay the driver. Taxi rates to different villages in Goa hang at the exit of the airport terminal, so if a taxi driver starts to overcharge, you should not encourage it. Taxi prices from the airport and the distance to popular tourist villages, we will give in this article, just below.

Government Prepaid Taxi Desk at Dabolim Airport

In addition to currency exchange, you can use the ATMs that are at the exit of the terminal: just withdraw money from your card. The ATM gives out rupees, the conversion takes place inside the bank. The issuance fee for Indian ATMs is standard: 200 rupees. The commission for withdrawing money in your bank may be different: we, for example, have money from which you can withdraw without a 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 issuance - it turns out 2% of the amount. The smaller the amount you withdraw, the more profitable it is.

It is worth considering that Indian ATMs do not work like Russian ones. They don’t “swallow” the card - it must be inserted all the way and immediately pulled out: the ATM has already read all the necessary information. After the card has been read and removed, you already enter the pin code, select the desired account and enter required amount issuance.

Also at the exit to the city there is a sale of Indian SIM cards. It is extremely unprofitable to buy them here: they cost many times more than in villages of Goa, and in the event of a card malfunction, there will be no one to make a claim (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 looking for accommodation will not work.

Dabolim airport online scoreboard(Select the "Departure" or "Arrival" tab) :

Distance from Goa airport to tourist villages and taxi prices

Table with prices from 2017

It is worth considering that at night (from 23:00 to 05:00) another 35% is added to these rates. Also, prepaid taxis charge another 10 rupees per 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 enter inside?

When departing from Goa, your luggage is carefully checked, and then a yellow sticker is glued to the lock of the suitcase, which cannot be removed without damaging it. So they are trying to secure the flight (so that prohibited items are not put in the suitcase after the check). By the way, it is forbidden to carry any batteries in luggage, we once did not allow a children's suitcase to pass because it contained a control panel for a car with batteries inside.

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

This is the queue for check-in for the Goa-Samara flight turned out at 4 in the morning

Passenger check-in at international departure counters at Dabolim Airport

At Dabolim Airport, a plastic film rewind service is available - it costs only 200 rupees. Compared to a similar service at Sheremetyevo, which costs 500 rubles- Indians ask 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 without tags on board: special seals are put on these tags after checking the hand luggage on the scanner, and without these seals you will not be allowed further customs control. At other airports, we often do not even attach Cabin baggage tags at all - and we have never had a problem.

All in all, Harbour Air Goa is small, there are a lot of people, there are queues everywhere. Baggage check-in and passage passport control takes an excruciatingly 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 in hand luggage were passed without problems, moreover, even if the basket was not the only element of hand luggage, but was an addition to it. In fairness, it is worth saying that according to the rules, the transport of fruits in hand luggage has always been prohibited, but no one paid such serious attention to it.

These baskets were used to take fruit from Goa in hand luggage

At the end of 2017, for some reason, they began to comply with this rule with special care: everyone was forced to check in all fruit baskets. But they did not take money for them, as for additional luggage.

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

It is worth saying that during our December 2017 year, 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 hand over fruit baskets in their luggage were worried that at the Russian border (according to rumors) half of the fruit was confiscated by workers, and only a small part of what they were carrying reached the owners. In view of this, they diligently wrapped the baskets with tape. Did the scotch tape help, or did the customs officers come across to us honest, but all the fruits handed over in luggage reached their owners in the same amount that they were handed over.

Duty free and food courts at the airport

The duty free zone in Dabolim is very, very modest (like 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 it.

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

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

When our flight was delayed by 4 hours, we had to buy expensive and tasteless (and spicy) burgers from one of the two food outlets in the departure area. There is no normal food here. Therefore, I can’t even imagine how to feed the children here during the long delay of the plane. I strongly advise, just in case, to stock up in advance with some more healthy food for children.

Goan airport from the runway side:

What to do if the flight is canceled

If the flight was canceled more than 24 hours before departure, then passengers are transferred to similar flights of the airline. The costs are borne by the carrier, the service is free for the passenger. If none of the options offered by the airline suits you, most airlines can issue a "forced refund". After confirmation by the airline, the money will be returned to your account. Sometimes this may take several weeks.

How to check in at the airport

Online check-in is available on the websites of most airlines. Most often, it opens 23 hours before the start of the flight. You can go through it no later than 1 hour before the departure of the aircraft.

To check in at the airport you will need:

• the identity card specified in the order,
• birth certificate when traveling with children,
• printed itinerary receipt(optional).

• What can you take on a plane

  Hand luggage is the items that you take with you on the plane. The carry-on baggage allowance can vary from 5 to 10 kg, and its size most often should not exceed the sum of three dimensions (length, width and height) from 115 to 203 cm (depending on the airline). A handbag is not considered hand luggage and is carried freely.

  The bag that you take with you on the plane should not contain knives, scissors, medicines, aerosols, cosmetics. Alcohol from stores duty free can only be carried in sealed bags.

  How to pay for luggage at the airport

  If the baggage weight exceeds the norms established by the airline (most often - 20-23 kg), you need to pay for each kilogram of excess. In addition, many Russian and foreign airlines, as well as low-cost airlines, have tariffs that do not include free transportation luggage and must be paid separately as an additional service.

  Baggage must be checked in at the airport at a separate drop-off check-in counter. If you are unable to print boarding pass, you can get it at the usual check-in counter of the airline, and check in and check in your luggage there.

  Where to find out the arrival time if you are a greeter

  You can find out the time of arrival of the aircraft on the online scoreboard of the airport. The Tutu.ru website has an online scoreboard of the main Russian and foreign airports.

  You can find out the exit (gate) number on the arrivals board at the airport. This number is located next to the arrival flight information.

Goa is a very popular place among tourists from the CIS countries. You can understand this, since this resort has a huge number of advantages. This is one of the smallest Indian states. By itself, it is a complete coastline washed by Arabian Sea And Indian Ocean. Arriving here, tourists get into real paradise, as if descended from postcards: palm trees, White sand, clear sea, exotic temples and resorts. At the same time, rest in India is very cheap, it is considered, perhaps, the most affordable in the world. The only thing that can darken Russian tourists is the presence of a visa.

Since Goa is not a separate island or state, but still a state of India, you need to draw up documents here. However, any traveler will tell you that this country willingly and without any bureaucratic delays gives visas for holidays, without requiring a huge package of papers. Therefore, getting the desired permission to visit the resort is not difficult. In order to get to this state, you need to make a flight from Russia. Naturally, when you travel for the first time, questions arise, which airport of arrival in GOA will you visit and what do you need to know about it in general?

If you have a question, which airport do planes fly to in GOA, then just remember the name - Dabolim. It makes no sense to fly to India to another state and from there already get to the resort. After all, we are talking about a modern air harbor. It is located four kilometers from small town Vasco da Gama. It is about 30 kilometers to get to a 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 aircraft;
• at the same time, quite a few flights also follow from other states, and tourists also arrive on them, who for some reason could not fly on a direct route;
• 200 thousand foreigners fly to the airport every year, which is an impressive figure for such a small institution.

It is noteworthy that the number of tourists is about 10% of all foreigners who come to India. Most often, this resort is chosen by Russians, other residents of the CIS countries, as well as the British.

A bit of history

The airport began to be built in 1950. Under these needs, lands were allocated from the village of Dabolim. The airport still bears its name, not intending to change it. In the 60s, India gained independence, and by force conquered the 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 troops. 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 came to a normal life, tourists flew into it, Special attention giving Goa. In 1996 it was already a resort, and there was no point in delaying the expansion of the airport any longer. Started this year regular flights civil aviation. Further, Dabolim was only modernized, gradually replenished with modern aircraft.

Dabolim airport

Passenger service and service

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

1. Before boarding, you will be given special cards. They must be filled out with 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 the column cannot be missed.
3. Upon arrival, you enter the building or you are brought here by special buses, go through customs and passport control.
4. Passengers who fly within the country and those who arrive from other countries are processed at different terminals.

Check-in on arrival takes about 20 minutes, and by the way, it also takes place 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 site is quite small, and a queue often forms here. Finding luggage is hard. This is used by local employees who, for a nominal fee, will find and hand over your luggage without waiting in line. Here already decide for yourself whether to pay or not, one way or another, your suitcase will appear on the tape.

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

You can use the currency exchange office right at the airport. In India, rupees are very common, and in some places they will not take dollars or cards from you, so it is better to have a supply of national cash with you. There is also a place where you can go to the local telephone connection. It is immediately available for purchase new map. To do this, provide the seller:

• 2 photos;
• a copy of the visa;
• photocopy of passport.

The disadvantages of Dabolim include the lack of Wi-Fi, paid luggage storage.