Aeroflot will launch a new route from Moscow to Goa, India, three times a week, starting from November 2, 2022. The airline currently has a twice-weekly flight on the Moscow-Delhi route. Apart from this, the new services will also offer a weekly cargo capacity of 30 tons from India to Russia and CIS countries. The Goa-Moscow route is a high-demand route between India and Russia and will give the airline a chance to recover, the airline said.
Korolev Oleg K, Head of Cargo, 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. It marks the expansion of our Indian services in response to customer demand.”
Delmos Aviation, which manages the cargo sales and bookings for Aeroflot in India said that tourists from Russia make up most visitors to Goa. With tourist season just around the corner, India is looking forward to welcoming a high number of Russian tourists.
Naveen Rao, Director, Delmos Aviation, said: “It’s a good start and will boost the tourism industry in the upcoming tourist season. Also, it will help streamline cargo movement. As most 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.”
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, according to Rao.
“Besides 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 added.
Aeroflot’s passenger numbers have drastically dropped since last year. The airline carried 31.3 million passengers in the first nine months of 2022 as compared to 34.1 million in the same period in 2021.