The Centre has given a nod for the Rs 3,000 crore International airport project at the Mopa village of Goa. Given that the state is one of the most popular destinations for inbound travellers, this was much needed to handle the footfall. The greenfield airport, to be developed in four phases and will have annual passenger capacity of 13.1 million within 30 years, by 2045. In the first phase, the state government has proposed to develop one runway and three runway exits by 2020 to accommodate annual passenger capacity of 4.4 million. The estimated cost of the project in Phase I would be Rs 1,500 crore. The tenders for new airport at Mopa will be finalised by December 2015.