I have long dreamed of flying to Goa ... Arriving at the airport, Dabolim 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, I, like all other tourists, had to go through 5 circles of hell. Really, registration with all checks, introscopes, queues dragged on for 3 hours! Nerves, worries ... There were no traces of rest at the time of getting on the plane.
Since the airport is a military one, the inspection is strict here. I passed such a check only at the Sharm airport. Just imagine, in order to enter the air harbor, you must show a ticket. Here it is the first stage. Otherwise, there is no opportunity to enter the territory. The next, seemingly familiar procedure: baggage scanning. Well, there is only one device at the entrance. I had to stand in a kilometer-long queue in order to get a special sticker on things. Without her, I assure you that the luggage will not be accepted! With regard to registration, then this is more or less. Visa control, and generally passed not noticeably. At this point, I exhaled, but in vain. It turns out that dessert was waiting for me - inspection of hand luggage and me. Friends, I stood in line for 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 separated queues;
- lack of pointers.
And finally, if you suddenly decide to have a snack at the airport, be prepared to pay 10% for the service.
There are several ways to get to Goa: land, sea and air. The easiest and fastest 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.
Airport history
The international airport was built in Goa by the Portuguese back in the 50s of the XX century. Initially, it was intended exclusively for internal use and served as a transport junction for communication between the cities of Portuguese India.
It is currently operated by the Indian Navy. The main destination is international tourist flights. It is part of the Hansa military airbase.
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 the western coast of the Indian subcontinent.
Airport Code
According to the coding adopted by IATA, the Goa air port is called GOI (abbreviation GOa International). ICAO stands for Dabolim with the VOGO code.
Online scoreboard Goa international flights
The most accurate information about the time of departure and arrival of aircraft in Goa is on the airport's online scoreboard. For today and until the end of 2017, this is the only reliable source of information. The online scoreboard operates in local time. You can see the scoreboard here
Services at the airport
For passengers waiting for departure, Dabolim has all the conditions: a waiting room, shower, toilet, pharmacies, shops (including Duty free), snack bars. After arrival, you will hardly need anything other than exchange offices, a taxi or cash desk.
- Luggage packing. For a separate payment, the luggage will be packed by employees, but in Dabolim you can buy a film and do it yourself.
- Luggage storage. Upon arrival in Goa, be prepared that there is no left-luggage office at the airport.
- Cafes and restaurants. There are enough kiosks, cafes, restaurants and eateries. A special feature is the huge prices and low quality of the products served. Perhaps, in 2018, something will change, but before that tourists tried to take food with them in case of a delay in departure.
- Currency exchange and ATMs. Experienced tourists do not recommend changing all the money at the airport exchange offices at once: the rate will not be profitable. There is an ATM near the old terminal.
- 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.
- Smoking room. Smoking is allowed in designated areas equipped with cigarette lighters. There are kiosks with cigarettes.
The new terminal in Dabolim certainly makes a good impression: small but neat. The old one smudges the external picture a little. At the airport you will find:
- lengthy and thorough search;
- long registration;
- unreasonably high prices.
- Do not change all cash on arrival.
- Bargain or demand checks.
- In case of a delay in departure, it is better to take food with you.
- Here you can buy Himalaya souvenirs and products, but prices will be higher than in general in Goa.
You can get to the port territory only with a ticket, and even then not earlier than 4 hours before the departure time. The infrastructure cannot be called developed, but you are provided with a minimum of amenities.
Goa airport is called Dabolim, it is here that all direct flights to Goa arrive, however, not very direct flights to Goa, also fly to Dabolim. Today, Goa Airport is a modern building made of glass and metal, but recently tourists were welcomed by the small and cozy Dabolim Airport. However, you can still see the building of the old Goan airport today, it is located a stone's throw from the new one.
A special feature of Goa airport is strict control at the entrance to the building of the air station. Only passengers with air tickets are allowed into the airport building; you can buy plane tickets right in front of the airport entrance. But if you are only seeing off friends or relatives, then a paid entrance to the territory of Dabolim airport is provided for you. In 2015, the entrance to the airport for two hours cost no more than 50 rupees per person.
Direct flights to Goa from Moscow and St. Petersburg
Thanks to the growing tourism industry in India, direct flights from Moscow and St. Petersburg fly to Goa. In most cases, direct flights to Goa from Moscow and St. Petersburg are carried out by charter carriers, which are especially active at the height of the tourist season.
In addition to charter flights, there are direct flights to Goa from Moscow and St. Petersburg, but be sure to check the ticket prices, as most often it will be more profitable to fly to Goa from Moscow.
In addition to direct international flights, you can fly from Goa airport to the most popular tourist cities in India:
- Delhi - flight time 2 hours 40 minutes;
- Mumbai - flight time 50 minutes;
- Chennai - flight time 3 hours;
- Kolkata - flight time 3.5 hours;
- Bangalore - flight time 1.5 hours.
Flights to Goa price
Goa airport online scoreboard
You can check the time of arrival at the Dabolim airport on the online scoreboard. The Goa airport online scoreboard indicates the most up-to-date information on the arrival / departure of aircraft from Dabolim.
Goa airport on Goa map
To make it clearer where the Goa airport is, see the map of Goa, on which it is marked, as well as all the major bus stations in Goa are indicated on the map.
Goa airport to resort beaches
Taxi - transfer
The easiest and most reliable way to get from Goa airport to your place of residence is to book a transfer.
You can order a transfer directly from the Internet; a taxi driver will be waiting for you at the airport with a sign on which your name will be indicated. All the problems and difficulties in getting you to the hotel / cottage / house or wherever you want it is already his problem, and you just have to enjoy the Goan flavor (everything has already been paid for, but you can give the taxi driver a tip, this is at your discretion) /
Prepaid airport taxi
You need to find a booth with "Prepaid Taxi" services at the Goa airport and pay for the trip to the place you need. Here you should carefully study this post "How taxi drivers cheat in India." Despite the fact that the taxi service has been paid for, there can be all kinds of adventures along the way.
On Goan buses
In Goa, there is a well-organized and well-functioning bus transport network, details of its work and logistics can be found in the post "How to travel in Goa by bus." Goan buses travel the entire state from north to south and from west to east.
There are several things to be aware of:
- buses run from 7 am to 11 pm;
- hard to ride if you have a lot of things;
- it is difficult to understand where which one is going, there are no numbers and plates;
- there are many people;
- on weekends, there are long intervals for buses.
If you decide to travel from Goa airport by bus, then the path is very simple. Exit the airport terminal and cross the road (next to the traffic lights). You need to stand literally above the railway tracks, there is no designated stop (as in the vast majority of cases in India), but people are always crowding here waiting for the bus.
Next, stop all buses (or rather, they will stop themselves). Your task is to get to the Vasco De Gama bass stand (bus station in the city of Vasco De Gama). The bus fare from Goa airport to Vasco De Gama is not more than 10 - 15 rupees, travel time is 10 minutes.
In the city of Vasco de Gama, get off the bus in the Vasco market area. At this intersection, on one side, there will be the Vasco de Gama train station (walk 3 minutes), and on the other, the Vasco de Gama bus station (walk 4 minutes). If you are unsure of the direction, check with the locals.
If you are driving from Goa airport to the northern beaches, then the route is as follows:
- Vasco Da Gama bus station - Panaji bus station. The journey takes 30 minutes. Price Rs 45;
- Panaji bus station - Mapsa bus station. There are direct buses from Panaji to Calangute. The journey takes 20 minutes. Price 15 - 20 rupees;
- from Mapsa bus station to any place in North Goa, but there are direct buses from Panaji to Calangute. Drive to the very north of Goa (to Arambol) 60 minutes.
If you are driving from Goa airport to the southern beaches, then the route is as follows:
- junction near Goa airport - Vasco De Gama bus station. The journey takes 5-10 minutes. Price - 10-15 rupees;
- Vasco Da Gama bus station - Margao bus station. The journey takes 40 minutes. Price Rs 45;
- from the Margao bus station to any place in South Goa. Buses run every 15 minutes, prices from 10 rupees.
A few minutes before the plane lands at the airport, the stewardess will give you an "Arrival card" for India. It will need to be filled in to go through customs control. After landing, a bus will drive up to the plane and take passengers to the airport building. There you will go through customs and passport control and will be able to get your luggage on the belt.
Currency exchange and communication
At the start of your Goa trip, you will need some local money to get around the state. The currency exchange rate at Dabolim airport is not very favorable, so we advise you to exchange as much currency as you need to get to a normal exchanger or bank. There is an office of a local cellular company near the exchanger, where you can purchase a SIM card from an Indian mobile operator. The cost of a SIM card at the airport is slightly higher than in other areas of the state.
Duty Free shops
There are Duty Free shops on the territory of Dabolim Airport. The range of goods presented in them is significantly lower than in many other airports in the world. Indian rupees, dollars and euros are accepted for payment. The exchange rate is low.
Where to buy a ticket to Goa at a low price
You can buy plane tickets on our website. Our system will quickly find tickets for you from a variety of airlines and show prices for them.
check-in
You can enter the airport building no earlier than 4 hours before departure, having a ticket with you. It is better to arrive at least an hour before departure. First, you will need to go through customs and check in for the flight. Check-in takes place by airline, and not by flight number, as in most airports in the world. Ticket offices of Air India, Indian Airlines, Jet Airways, Kingfisher, Sahara Airlines, SpiceJet, GoAir operate at the airport. At customs, you will need to fill out the "Departure card".
Goa airport location on the map
Goa airport is located almost in the middle of the state between northern Goa and South Goa, 4 km from the center of Vasco Da Gama. From the airport to the state capital of Panaji, about 30 km.
How to get from Goa airport to the hotel
There are several ways to get from Dabolim airport to Goa resorts, but the most popular of them is to take a taxi. The driver will meet you at the airport in the arrivals area, help you with your luggage and take you to the desired address. Book a taxi from Goa airport to your hotel online!
Those planning to travel by bus will have to deal with local public transport. The nearest bus station to the airport is a 10-minute drive in Vasco da Gama. You can get from the airport to it by auto-rickshaw (local minibus) for about 60 rupees.
A kilometer from the Goa airport there is a railway station, from which you can go to other areas of Goa and India.
Goa has a single airport called Dabolim. Its abbreviated name is GOI (Goa International Airport). And even then, this is not really a tourist airport: most of it belongs to the Indian Ministry of Defense. Today the air terminal has two terminals: Terminal 1 serves domestic flights, and Terminal 2 - international.
Goa's "air gate" was erected 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. Since that time, and until now, Dabolim remains the property of the military forces of the Indian Republic, a military air unit called "Hansa" 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 take place on the territory every day from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., and takeoffs and landings of civilian aircraft are prohibited, therefore all aircraft in Goa arrive either late in the evening, or at night, or early in the morning (before the beginning of the exercises of military fighters).
We once got into a situation when ours was late with an arrival, because of which the departure was delayed by 4 hours. At this time, the runways of the airport were already occupied by military fighters, and about 300 people sat in the waiting room and watched in silence. We had to take off at 7 o'clock in the morning, but it turned out to take off only around 12 noon. We were lucky, and by some miracle our plane was allowed to take off between takeoffs of Indian fighters (apparently, the lunch break happened). And we already expected to wait until the end of the working day.
Also, due to the military nature of the airport, a military man with a machine gun always stands at the entrance to it and checks tickets for everyone who wants to enter. Therefore, everyone must have a printout of their electronic ticket, where the number and date of the flight can be seen. Entry to the airport 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 handed out 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 card takes a long time). The Arrival card contains standard information: arrival flight, departure date, in which hotel you will live, which cities you plan to visit.
This is what the Arrival Card looks like, which must be filled out by all foreign tourists.
After filling out the Arrival Card, you must go along 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 issued an electronic visa, which is pasted into your passport upon arrival).
After passing the border control, we go to the baggage claim belt. Let's add a small one, so there are only two tapes here. Local "helpers" are on duty around these bands around the clock, who are in a hurry to snatch the suitcase out of 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, thus earning money. 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 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 currency exchange at the airport, but the rate is extremely unprofitable. Therefore, if you really need it urgently (for example, to pay for a taxi), exchange a small amount (no more than $ 50). But the best thing is to order a car at a prepaid taxi booth (a public prepaid taxi) and tell the driver that you will pay 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 at a favorable rate and pay off the driver. Taxi rates to different villages in Goa hang at the exit from the airport, so if the taxi driver starts to overcharge, you shouldn't be encouraged. Taxi prices from the airport and the distance to popular tourist villages, we will give in this article, just below.
The counter of the state Prepaid taxi at Dabolim airport
In addition to currency exchange, you can use ATMs located at the exit from the terminal: just withdraw money from your card. The ATM issues 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: we have, for example, money from which you can withdraw money without commission anywhere in the world (provided that the withdrawal amount is at least 3000 rubles). Usually, we withdraw 10,000 rupees and pay 200 rupees for issue - 2% of the amount is obtained. The smaller the amount you withdraw, the less profitable it is.
It is worth considering that Indian ATMs work differently from Russian ones. They do not "swallow" the card - they need to insert it all the way and immediately pull it out: the ATM has already read all the necessary information. After the card is read and removed, you already enter the pin code, select the desired account and enter the required amount of issue.
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 several times more expensive than in the villages of Goa, and in the event of a card malfunction, there will be no one to make a claim (you will not go to the airport by taxi for 1000 rupees to exchange a SIM card for 500).
There are no luggage storage rooms in Dabolim, so you won't be able to leave your luggage there while looking for accommodation.
Online scoreboard of Dabolim airport(select the tab "Departure" or "Arrival") :
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 | The cost of the official government prepaid taxi in rupees (car without air conditioning) | Air-conditioned car |
| 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 |
| Walrus | 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 |
| Sunword | 55 | 1404 | 1488 |
| Sanguyem | 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 rates. Also, the prepaid taxi takes another 10 rupees from each passenger for luggage.
Departure from Dabolim
We have already talked about the fact that you can enter the terminal only by presenting your printed e-ticket to the military at the entrance. What happens after you go inside?
When leaving 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 your luggage, once we didn’t let a children's suitcase through because it contained a control panel for a typewriter with batteries inside.
Lighters are also prohibited in carry-on and checked baggage. Therefore, even souvenir lighters from India are also removed from suitcases.
This is the queue for check-in for the Goa-Samara flight at 4 a.m.
Passenger check-in at international departure counters at Dabolim airport
At Dabolim airport, the service of rewinding baggage with plastic film is available - it costs only 200 rupees... Compared to a similar service at 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 carry-on luggage everywhere. But only at the Dabolim airport it will not work to bring hand luggage without tags on board: special stamps are put on these tags after checking the hand luggage on the scanner, and without these seals you will not be allowed past customs control. At other airports, we often don't even attach Cabin baggage tags at all - and we never had a problem.
In general, the Goa air harbor is small, there are a lot of people, there are queues everywhere. Checking in luggage and passing through passport control takes an agonizingly long time, it is better to arrive at the airport at least 3 hours in advance (of course, if you are not traveling by 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, even if the basket was not the only element of hand luggage, but was an addition to it. In fairness, it should be said that according to the rules, the transportation of fruits in hand luggage was always prohibited, but no one paid such serious attention to it.
It was in such baskets that they used to export fruits from Goa in hand luggage.
At the end of 2017, for some reason, this rule began to be followed with special care: all fruit baskets were forced to check in luggage. 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 carry-on luggage: they simply did not show them when checking in their luggage, and were successfully able to carry them aboard. The same tourists who asked the workers if it was possible to carry IT and pointed to the baskets were forced to check them in.
It is worth saying that during our year in December 2017, all the baskets arrived safe and sound, they were not unloaded on a belt, but carefully brought all the baskets 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 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 reaches the owners. In view of this, they diligently wrapped the baskets with duct tape. Did the scotch tape help, or did the customs officers come across to us honest, but all the fruits checked in as luggage reached their owners in the same quantity as they were handed over.
Duty free and food courts at the airport
The duty-free zone in Dabolim is very, very modest (like in the Russian province). In fact, there is only one small shop with some alcohol and souvenirs, a few fast food nooks with very expensive prices, and that's it.
On the right is the same fast food corner. There are no tables where you can eat and drink what you bought. Passengers eat in chairs.
Departure hall: in the distance you can see the only mini-shop of duty-free, about nothing
When our flight was delayed by 4 hours, we had to buy expensive and tasteless (besides 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 the children here during the long delay of the plane. I strongly advise, just in case, to stock up on some healthier food for children in advance.
Goan airport from the side of the runway.
