PANAJI
The President of Travel & Tourism Association of Goa (TTAG), Savio Messias, has said that Tourism Minister Manohar ‘Babu' Azgaonkar has not replied to a mail sent to him by the TTAG on the issue of landing slots for charter flights for the current season.
Messias said, "We had sent a request to meet Azgaonkar, CM Manohar Parrikar and also the director of Dabolim Airport and sort out the charter issue. Azgaonkar has not yet replied to our mail."
This assumes significance given the fact that several charter flights have already threatened that they will pull out of Goa, if adequate number of landing slots are not allotted to them.
These flights are bread and butter to a very high number of tourism stakeholders in the state, who entirely depend upon foreign travellers. In the event the number of these flights decline, it will badly impact Goa's image as a destination.
The first charter flight from Russia arrived at Dabolim Airport on October 1.
Messias informed that a British charter flight, which used to normally land at Dabolim Airport on Sundays at 8.30, has not been allotted landing slot this year."
Sources revealed that a number of charter flights have not been allotted landing slots. In some cases, slots have been allotted, but not the slots, which were allotted to these flights in the earlier years.
It is the Airports Authority of India (AAI) that allots landing slots to charter flights. But this tourism season on account of various reasons the slots have not been allotted.
Messias also informed that TTAG will be meeting Parrikar on October 4 to discuss the issue.
The President of Travel & Tourism Association of Goa (TTAG), Savio Messias, has said that Tourism Minister Manohar ‘Babu' Azgaonkar has not replied to a mail sent to him by the TTAG on the issue of landing slots for charter flights for the current season.
Messias said, "We had sent a request to meet Azgaonkar, CM Manohar Parrikar and also the director of Dabolim Airport and sort out the charter issue. Azgaonkar has not yet replied to our mail."
This assumes significance given the fact that several charter flights have already threatened that they will pull out of Goa, if adequate number of landing slots are not allotted to them.
These flights are bread and butter to a very high number of tourism stakeholders in the state, who entirely depend upon foreign travellers. In the event the number of these flights decline, it will badly impact Goa's image as a destination.
The first charter flight from Russia arrived at Dabolim Airport on October 1.
Messias informed that a British charter flight, which used to normally land at Dabolim Airport on Sundays at 8.30, has not been allotted landing slot this year."
Sources revealed that a number of charter flights have not been allotted landing slots. In some cases, slots have been allotted, but not the slots, which were allotted to these flights in the earlier years.
It is the Airports Authority of India (AAI) that allots landing slots to charter flights. But this tourism season on account of various reasons the slots have not been allotted.
Messias also informed that TTAG will be meeting Parrikar on October 4 to discuss the issue.
