Goa’s international charter season has started earlier than usual with the arrival of an Aeroflot flight from Yekaterinburg carrying 162 passengers to Goa International Airport at Dabolim, opening a season expected to bring more visitors from Russia, the UK and Kazakhstan.
The flight, which arrived on Thursday, is part of the Russia-Goa charter programme operated with support from Concord Exotic Voyages (India) Pvt Ltd and the Minar Group. International charter operations in Goa have traditionally begun in early or mid-October, making the September arrival an earlier start to the season.
Airport director Akash Deep said Aeroflot would operate six flights a week, with three services each from Moscow and Yekaterinburg. The next Russian charter flight, from Moscow, is scheduled to arrive on October 4 with around 285 passengers.
The planned increase in flights will make Dabolim an important arrival point for Goa’s international holiday market during the months when charter operations are concentrated. According to Concord Exotic Voyages senior vice-president Sheik Ismail, the Yekaterinburg service will carry fewer passengers than the Moscow flights. He also said a large proportion of Russian visitors this season had booked five-star resorts.
Goa received around 33,000 Russian tourists during the previous season, and the number is projected to rise to 45,000 this season, Ismail said. The Russian charter programme is expected to continue until April, according to Minar Group vice-president Shubert Colaco. The group had also facilitated the first charter flight of the previous season.
The schedule is set to widen beyond Russia in the coming months. Charter flights from the UK are scheduled to begin in November, with a Le Passage to India service operated by TUI Group from Manchester. That flight, due on November 4, is currently booked for around 285 passengers and will be followed by a service from Gatwick.
Charter operations from Kazakhstan are also expected to begin in the coming weeks, operators said. The additional markets will add to the seasonal international traffic handled through Goa’s airport network and support the state’s established tourism supply chain, including hotels, travel operators and airport-linked services.
Tourism minister Rohan Khaunte said the government was focusing on strengthening established international markets such as Russia and the UK while expanding Goa’s international connectivity. He said the state was also being promoted as a year-round destination beyond its beaches.
Tourism director Kedar Naik described international charters as a significant component of Goa’s tourism economy. “The planned increase in frequencies from Russia, together with charter services from the UK, Kazakhstan and other markets, will further strengthen Goa’s international connectivity during the season,” Naik said.
Nahush Bargi, assistant vice-president of Le Passage to India, said industry sentiment ahead of the UK charter season was positive, citing continued traveller interest in Goa. The next scheduled milestone is the arrival of the Moscow charter flight on October 4, followed by the start of UK services in November.