India, Russia Set for Growth in Trade & Tourism as Aeroflot Begins Direct Flights to Goa

Ahead of the busy tourism season, Russian flagship carrier Aeroflot has announced launching direct flights between Moscow and Goa, starting this Wednesday, November 2.

"Goa is a popular tourist destination among Russians. We are starting our three-times-a-week flights on the Moscow-Goa-Moscow route. It marks the expansion of our Indian services in response to customer demand," Oleg Korolev, General Director of Aeroflot-Cargo, said on Monday.

Aeroflot will fly its Airbus A330 aircraft from Moscow to the coastal city of Goa every Wednesday, Saturday, and Sunday, offering 268 seats in business class and 28 seats in economy class.

The carrier hopes that flight services will also provide a significant relief to exporters, who have witnessed a sanctions-induced disruption in the supply chain.

The airline currently operates its services on the Moscow-Delhi-Moscow route twice a week.

“We know most airlines are still not flying to Russia due to sanctions. It is affecting the cargo supply chain from the western region. Aeroflot flights from Goa will help bridge this gap,” said Naveen Rao, Director of Delmos Aviation, which oversees Aeroflot's cargo sales and bookings in India.

He expects a "definite surge" in the demand for air cargo logistical services in Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) states, as the new services will offer a weekly cargo capacity of 30 metric from India for Russia and the CIS nations.

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Goa is also a desirable destination, given that it is a hub of many pharmaceutical companies and other perishable goods, and India is the primary exporter of essential pharma supplies to Russia and CIS countries.

During bilateral talks between Putin and Modi on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in Uzbekistan last month, the Russian president said India’s rich history and ancient culture are traditionally of great interest to the Russian people, and proposed accelerating the process of negotiations towards an agreement on visa-free tourist travel.

Russian officials engaged in the tourism sector have held a series of roadshows, presentations, seminars and workshops this year to attract Indian tourists to popular destinations such as Moscow and St. Petersburg.