Shoma Patnaik
Panaji
Goa’s international charter season for 2026-27, which brings in longer-staying foreign tourists, is kicking off on a positive note, with flights slated to touch down in the state earlier than usual.
The first foreign charter aircraft from Russia will arrive this month on September 30 at the Dabolim International Airport in Vasco, carrying 438 passengers. Goa is likely to see six charter flights a week from Russia.
“Charter flights to the state for the coming season are arriving sooner than expected. They generally arrive from the first week of October onwards. The new season is beginning favourably,” said Sheikh Ismail, senior vice-president of tour operator Concord Exotic Voyages.
He said that flights will arrive from the Russian cities of Yekaterinburg and Moscow, with the frequency expected to increase as the season advances.
Besides the Russian sector, Concord Exotic Voyages handles foreign charter itineraries from Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Belarus. The company anticipates flights from Kazakhstan to start landing in Goa from October 23 onwards. “Roadshows by travel companies as well as by the Goa government have helped overcome the setback to tourism caused by ongoing global wars,” Ismail said.
Speaking to ‘The Navhind Times’, tour operators said that the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war has not affected flights from the post-Soviet states to Goa as much as feared. “The previous 2025-26 season saw tourists arriving from Russia despite the war, and the outlook for the approaching season looks similar,” they said.
“The state’s international charter season, running from October this year through April 2027, looks strong with an expected 8% to 10% increase in flights compared to the previous season,” said Ernest Dias, chief operating officer of TCI and SITA.
Dias said that the main challenge lies in increasing the footfall of foreign free independent travellers (FITs), as several airlines have cancelled international and domestic flights. “Foreign tourists visiting the state like to travel to other destinations within India and require good air connectivity,” Dias said.
Addressing these connectivity concerns, Nilesh Shah, former president of the Travel & Tourism Association of Goa (TTAG), said that several cancelled domestic flights connecting Goa are likely to be reinstated by IndiGo and other airlines in their upcoming winter schedule.
During the 2025-26 season, Goa welcomed approximately 302 charter flights across its two international airports. This year, the tourism department expects strong charter arrivals from established markets including the United Kingdom, Russia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Poland, alongside emerging markets such as Belarus, Armenia, Moldova and Bishkek (Kyrgyzstan).
