Latest news with #ManoharInternationalAirport
&w=3840&q=100)
Business Standard
a day ago
- Business
- Business Standard
'Air India to resume Goa-Gatwick direct flights by September-end'
The Air India flight between Goa and Gatwick in London, stopped following the horrific June 12 Ahmedabad plane crash, will resume by the end of September, Tourism Minister Rohan Khaunte has said in the state assembly. Improved connectivity to Goa from various locations is a "game changer" for the tourism sector, Khaunte said in the House on Tuesday during demands for grants for his department in the ongoing monsoon session of the assembly. The Air India flights from Goa's Manohar International Airport to Gatwick were suspended following the crash of the AI plane heading from Ahmedabad to London last month, which claimed the lives of 260 persons, including 241 on board. Khaunte said in the House that the direct flight between Goa and Gatwick will resume by the end of September this year. Notably, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant last week said in the assembly he will consult the Civil Aviation Ministry on resumption of the Air India Goa-Gatwick flight after BJP MLA Michael Lobo said it was the only flight directly bringing Goans from London to the coastal state. Khaunte also informed the House on Tuesday that from October 5, 2025, Russia's Aeroflot Airlines will operate three weekly flights from Yekaterinburg to Goa's Manohar International Airport, with each flight carrying up to 210 passengers. This service is projected to draw more than 13,000 Russian tourists to Goa during the upcoming season, the minister said. Goa has already established new air corridors with countries like Poland, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan, key routes that are fuelling a steady rise in international tourist arrivals, he informed. The state is embracing a long-term, strategic vision to drive sustainable tourism with a lasting impact, Khaunte said. "Major results may take time, but positive changes are already visible," he added. Goa welcomed 54.5 lakh tourists between January and June 2025, comprising 51.8 lakh domestic and 2.7 lakh international visitors, marking an impressive 8.4 per cent year-on-year growth, Khaunte said sharing figures in the House. "In June alone, tourist arrivals reached 8.34 lakh, boosted by cultural events such as the Sao Joao celebrations, forest stay experiences and creek tours. Hotel occupancy during the first half of the current calendar year (2025) ranged between 70 per cent to 100 per cent, underscoring high tourism demand," he informed. The minister dismissed claims of a drop in tourism, presenting official figures to show Goa has surpassed its pre-COVID-19 numbers. "In 2019, Goa welcomed 80.6 lakh tourists. In 2024, the number rose to 1.04 crore, including nearly 99.4 lakh domestic tourists and over 4.67 lakh international visitors, marking a 39.5 per cent rise in domestic and 50 per cent growth in international tourism compared to pre-COVID-9 levels," he said.
Time of India
4 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
Mopa airport emerging as hub for travellers to Lakshadweep, Maharashtra's hinterland
Panaji : Manohar International Airport, Mopa, is fast emerging as a hub for air connectivity both within India and internationally. Passengers from Maharashtra's tier-II and tier-III cities, along with islanders from Lakshadweep, are flying into Mopa to take flights to metros and outbound flights. According to the tourism department, Goa is well-linked because 2024-25 saw a growth in both domestic and international routes. 'We've seen a clear pattern. Passengers from cities like Jalgaon, Sindhudurg, and Solapur in Maharashtra, often use our airline to reach Goa, and from there, proceed to other destinations. This reflects the growing role of Goa as a gateway and natural transit point,' said FLY91 CEO and MD, Manoj Chacko. With the presence of two operational airports, Indians looking to travel to the Gulf region or to metros have multiple options when planning their journeys through Goa. The last financial year saw a good mix of charter flights and new scheduled routes, with enhanced frequencies from key source markets for both the airports. The state witnessed increased connectivity through scheduled international flights from the Gulf region and Iran in the last year, while new domestic flights connected Goa to major metros and tier-II cities, which have played a vital role during festivals and long weekends, said a travel operator. 'This growth in air access is key to our tourism strategy. Better connectivity brings in wider audiences globally,' said tourism minister Rohan Khaunte, who added that travel to Goa, both domestic and international, has shown steady growth over the past two years. For residents of Lakshadweep, Cochin was the only air link, but with a daily flight between Agatti and Mopa, Manohar International Airport is a better connection point for onward travel to Delhi, Mumbai, and Kolkata. During the ongoing session of the state legislative assembly, Mandrem MLA Jit Arolkar urged govt to take steps to strategically develop and project Goa as a transit and layover destination for international airlines. Arolkar is batting for the creation of a dedicated hub and spoke model as part of a transit tourism policy for Goa.
Hindustan Times
7 days ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Goa sees 39% rise in domestic tourist arrivals post-Covid: Minister Khaunte
Panaji: Goa has witnessed a 39% growth in domestic tourist arrivals between 2019 (pre-COVID) and 2024, tourism minister Rohan Khaunte said on Thursday, slamming 'paid social media influencers' for 'attempting to paint a wrong picture' of the state. This year, Khaunte said that between January and June, 57.12 lakh domestic tourists and 3.25 lakh foreign tourists have visited Goa. (Representative photo) Speaking in the Goa legislative assembly, Khaunte said the department has improved its data collection systems, which show that Goa recorded 71.27 lakh domestic and 9.37 lakh international tourists in 2019, and the footfall surged to 99.41 lakh domestic and 4.67 lakh international tourists in 2024. 'This reflects a 39% growth in domestic tourism compared to pre-COVID levels and a 50% recovery in international tourism. These numbers clearly show that tourism is thriving,' he said. This year, Khaunte said that between January and June, 57.12 lakh domestic tourists and 3.25 lakh foreign tourists have visited Goa. The data shows that between January and June, Goa recorded 57,12,758 tourist arrivals, including 34,64,490 domestic arrivals through Goa Dabolim International Airport in Vasco and 22,48,268 through Manohar International Airport at Mopa. International arrivals stood at 3,25,835, with 1,15,645 arriving via Goa Dabolim International Airport and 2,10,190 through Manohar International Airport. 'Many of these so-called influencers are sitting outside the state, getting paid to create noise that doesn't reflect the reality on the ground,' Khaunte said. 'When we presented the official data, none of them had a response.' Also Read: Goa minister declines to answer 12 questions on sub judice issues; Oppn protests 'Flights and hotels are almost full. We [Goans] can see the growth happening. In the past six months, both the airports have seen consistently high footfalls, and hotel occupancy has remained between 70 to 100% all year-round,' he said. Earlier, BJP legislator Michael Lobo had said that the state government was giving 'incorrect' figures, including data of tourists, locals, and emigrants who were moving to and from the state. Data on tourist arrivals and hotel occupancy is captured through the Tourism Information Management Enterprise (TIME) software, a centralised digital platform developed to streamline the process of data collection and analysis across the state's tourism accommodation sector. All registered hotels, guesthouses, and homestays are mandated to use TIME to log guest check-ins and report occupancy statistics on a real-time basis. This initiative helps the department monitor tourism trends, improve planning, and make data-driven policy decisions. Also Read: Use Goa's elaborate road infrastructure to attract more tourists: Nitin Gadkari Khaunte said that an e-visa programme was initiated with 170 countries and visa-on-arrival is currently available at select metro airports. He has requested the Centre to extend the visa-on-arrival facility to Goa as well and suggested involving coastal MLAs to push the demand forward. 'Goa is now linked to several parts of the world,' Khaunte said, adding that efforts like roadshows and marketing campaigns have opened up previously untapped international tourist segments.
The Hindu
21-07-2025
- Business
- The Hindu
Will consult Centre on restarting London flight service stopped after Ahmedabad plane crash: Goa CM
Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Monday (July 21, 2025) said he will consult the Civil Aviation Ministry on resumption of the Air India flight from Gatwick in London to the state's Manohar International Airport, which was stopped following the horrific June 12 Ahmedabad plane crash. Mr. Sawant was speaking in the assembly after BJP MLA Michael Lobo sought to know when the Air India flight service between Gatwick and Goa will resume. It was the only flight which was directly bringing Goans from London to the state, Mr. Lobo said, adding Mr. Sawant should intervene in the matter and take up the issue with Air India and also the Civil Aviation ministry. "I will consult the Union Civil Aviation Ministry and ensure the flight is resumed as early as possible," the CM said in response. During the discussion on the floor of the House, Mr. Lobo also questioned whether there is feasibility for two airports in Goa, namely the one at Dabolim in the southern part of the state and Manohar International Airport in Mopa in the north. During the commissioning of Manohar International Airport, assurances were given that the new facility will bring in more connectivity from the places like Abu Dhabi, Germany, Qatar and London but that does not seem to be happening, Mr. Lobo claimed. The CM said the number of flights (domestic and international) arriving in the state has doubled after the commissioning of Manohar International Airport. "On an average, 50-52 flights used to land and take off from Dabolim Airport. Now a similar number of flights are operating from Manohar International Airport, thereby, doubling the flight arrivals. Though Manohar International Airport is run by a private company, it has brought in revenue of ₹65.88 crore to the state exchequer since its commissioning," Mr. Sawant informed the House. Manohar International Airport at Mopa commenced domestic commercial operations from January 5, 2023 and international operations started from July 21 that year. The Monsoon session of the Goa assembly began during the day, and it will culminate on August 8.
Times of Oman
17-07-2025
- Times of Oman
Minor technical glitch forces IndiGo flight to return to Delhi shortly after take-off
New Delhi: An IndiGo flight en route to Imphal on Thursday was forced to return to Delhi shortly after take-off due to a minor technical issue, the airline said in a statement. Flight 6E 5118, which departed from Indira Gandhi International Airport for Imphal, experienced a technical snag shortly into the journey. As a precautionary measure, the pilots opted to turn back and landed the aircraft safely in Delhi. "In line with the mandatory procedures, the aircraft underwent necessary checks and resumed the journey shortly thereafter," said an IndiGo spokesperson. "Inconvenience caused to our customers is regretted. As always, safety and security of the customers, crew and aircraft is of utmost importance to us.," the spokesperson added. No injuries were reported, and passengers were provided assistance during the delay. The airline has not disclosed the specific nature of the technical issue. Earlier, an IndiGo flight en route from Delhi to Goa was diverted to Mumbai on Wednesday after a technical snag was detected mid-air. The flight, 6E 6271, was scheduled to land at the Manohar International Airport in Goa but was instead rerouted to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport in Mumbai as a precautionary measure. According to an official statement from an IndiGo spokesperson, the aircraft landed safely in Mumbai and is currently undergoing necessary checks and maintenance. "An alternative aircraft has been arranged for completing the journey, which will depart shortly with the customers. We regret the inconvenience caused to our customers due to this unforeseen situation. At IndiGo, the safety and security of the customers, crew, and aircraft are of utmost importance," the spokesperson said. All passengers on board are reported to be safe. The airline is coordinating to ensure minimal disruption to the travel plans of the affected customers.
