Mumbai meets Moscow as airlines add flights
By July, the Mumbai airport will have 18 weekly flights to Russia and Central Asia
Goa’s beaches and warm weather have lured Russian tourists for years. Each winter, thousands of Russians come to Goa in chartered flights for sun and surf. However, regular air connectivity between the two countries is limited to Aeroflot’s double-daily flights to New Delhi.
This will change this year, as Indian and Russian carriers introduce new services from Mumbai and Delhi to Moscow.
Aeroflot and Ural Airlines are introducing Moscow to Mumbai services for their summer schedule. Kazakhstan’s Air Astana will also start four weekly flights between Almaty and Mumbai, increasing connectivity to Central Asia. Currently, Uzbekistan Airlines flies two flights per week to Mumbai. By July, the Mumbai airport will have 18 weekly flights to Russia and Central Asian states.
Indigo and Vistara, too, are planning to introduce flights between Delhi and Moscow to tap growth in trade and tourism. “We do plan to introduce flights to Russia sometime during the course of this year. The exact timelines are yet to be finalised,” Indigo said in a statement. “We will be sharing details of our new international destinations at an appropriate time,” a Vistara spokesperson said. The new flights come in the backdrop of the Indian government’s move to boost air connectivity with Central Asia, and growing interest of Russian investors in India. Russian companies and government-backed funds have showed interest in high-speed rail projects in Gujarat, and revival of Jet Airways.
Around 450,000 people flew between India and Russia in the 12-month period ending December, 2019 — a growth of around 10 per cent over the previous year.
Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan have seen 24 and 50 per cent year-on-year growth in passengers to/from India. Tajikistan’s Somon Air, which launched two weekly flights to Delhi last December, sees a lot of tourist and student traffic from India. “Around 80 per cent of Russian tourists visit Goa and the rest visit Kerala, Delhi, and Agra. The new flights will bring more tourists to Mumbai, but will largely benefit outbound travel, as Indians are now exploring new destinations,” said H S Duggal, managing director of Minar Travels, which specialises in inbound tourism. “Traveller interest in Russia and some of the Commonwealth of Independent States has been growing steadily. In fact, Russia is among the top 10 countries booked by travellers from India on Cleartrip. The Russian government has also made visiting some key destinations in the country easier for Indian citizens by extending the e-visa facility. Azerbaijan, Armenia, Ukraine, and Kazakhstan are some of the other destinations in the region gaining popularity among tourists from India,” said Balu Ramachandran, senior vice-president, Cleartrip.com.