MAPUSA
Just days after Calangute MLA Michael Lobo raised concerns in the Goa Legislative Assembly over the abrupt discontinuation of Air India’s direct Goa-London service, Curtorim MLA Aleixo Reginald Lourenco on Wednesday flagged yet another connectivity setback – this time, involving the Goa-Kuwait route.
Speaking during the Assembly session, Lourenco revealed that Air India Express, which had launched operations on the Goa-Kuwait-Goa sector in May, is now set to suspend the service from July 31.
The decision has reportedly triggered concern and disappointment among a large number of Goans residing and working in Kuwait, many of whom considered the direct flight a vital and affordable link between the Gulf nation and their home State.
“The flight was a much-needed connection for the Goan diaspora in Kuwait. Its discontinuation has caused a lot of apprehension. I urge the government to intervene and ensure that at least one weekly flight is retained on the Goa-Kuwait-Goa route,” Lourenco said in the House.
He pointed out that this connection had offered a cost-effective and direct travel option for Goans working in Kuwait, many of whom previously had to rely on longer, more expensive routes with stopovers in Mumbai, Doha, or Dubai.
The development follows growing concern over the reduction of international air connectivity to and from Goa, a State that relies heavily on inbound tourism and has a large expatriate population in the Gulf and Europe.
The sudden cancellation of Air India’s Goa-London flight also triggered questions in the Assembly, with MLAs demanding that the government pursue proactive coordination with airlines and the civil aviation ministry to restore vital routes.
