Team Herald
PANJIM: Goa’s tourism on Monday received a shot in the arm following Russian flag carrier Aeroflot’s announcement to begin flight operations to the coastal State from Moscow, starting November 2.
The airline currently operates its Airbus A330 aircraft on the Moscow-Delhi-Moscow route twice a week.
Aeroflot will fly its Airbus A330 aircraft every Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday from Moscow to Goa, offering 28 seats in the business class and 268 in the economy class, the statement said.
The new services will offer a weekly cargo capacity of 30 tonnes from India to Russia and the CIS countries, it added.
Korolev Oleg K, head of cargo at Aeroflot said, “Goa is a popular tourist destination among Russians. We are starting our three times a week flights on the Moscow-Goa-Moscow route.”
Korolev said, “It marks the expansion of our Indian services in response to customer demand.”
Goa-Moscow route is another high demand route between India and Russia. These flights will boost the recovering tourist market in both countries, said Delmos Aviation, which manages the cargo sales and bookings for Aeroflot in India.
Tourists from Russia make up the majority of visitors to Goa. India is looking forward to welcoming a high number of Russian tourists, it stated.
It’s a good start and will boost the tourism industry in the tourist season. Also, it will help streamline cargo movement, Naveen Rao, Director – Delmos Aviation said.
“As most of the airlines are still not flying to Russia due to various sanctions, it is affecting the cargo supply chain from the western region. Aeroflot flights from Goa will help bridge this gap. Weekly flights from Goa will further enhance and streamline the supply chain both for the pharmaceutical sector and other goods industries,” Rao added.
India is the primary exporter of essential pharma supplies to Russia and CIS nations. Western India is a hub of many pharmaceutical companies and other perishable goods, Rao said.
“Besides with the extensive coverage in Russia and the CIS region, these flights will further aid in the expansion of our network in the region. They will facilitate supply chain movement. We see a definite surge in demand for air cargo logistical services in Russia and CIS nations,” Rao said.