Team Goemkarponn
PANAJI: Goa is set for a major expansion in air connectivity during the upcoming winter tourism season, with the state’s two airports together adding 84 domestic flights a week, even as new and expanded international services are planned from key overseas markets.
Manohar International Airport at Mopa will receive 28 additional domestic flights per week, while Dabolim Airport will get 56, according to the Tourism Department.
The expanded schedule includes new and revived connections to several Indian cities. Air India Express will introduce a daily Bengaluru-Mopa service, while IndiGo will operate a daily Chandigarh-Mopa flight from October 25 to March 27, 2027. Star Air will revive its Nanded-Mopa and Shivamogga-Mopa winter services, and FLY91 will resume its Navi Mumbai-Mopa connection.
Dabolim will see increased capacity on the Mumbai and Bengaluru routes operated by Air India Express, while Air India will strengthen services to Mumbai and Delhi. IndiGo will also add flights connecting Dabolim with Chennai, Rajkot, Navi Mumbai and Chandigarh.
The winter season will also bring a wider international network. Mopa will get three-times-a-week Abu Dhabi services by Air India Express, while TUI will operate charter flights to Gatwick and Manchester from November. FlyArystan will provide twice-weekly connectivity from Kazakhstan, while Enter Air will link Goa with Warsaw and Katowice. Air Arabia will operate winter services from Sharjah.
At Dabolim, Air India Express will operate a daily Dubai-Goa service, while Aeroflot will operate six flights a week from Moscow and Yekaterinburg. SCAT Airlines will also operate twice-weekly services from Kazakhstan.
Tourism Minister Rohan A Khaunte said the expansion represented a “strong vote of confidence” in Goa as a global tourism destination. He said the strategy was aimed at strengthening established source markets while opening Goa to new and high-potential markets.
Director of Tourism Kedar Naik said the winter season was shaping up positively, adding that strong air connectivity was crucial to supporting a year-round and diversified tourism economy.
