GoAir ties up with GTDC to promote Goa as international destination

Panaji, Oct 5 (UNI) The classic low cost airliner GoAir has tied up with the Goa Tourism Development Corporation(GTDC) for further promoting the island state as an international destination.

''We plan to have similar tie-ups with several other touristic states like Rajasthan shortly even as we had entered into an agreement with Kerala to tap the huge aviation sector potential in India,'' GoAir's Chief Commercial Officer Raj Alve said.

Announcing the tie-ups and expansion plans at a press conference here today, Mr Raj said the private airline company of the Wadia group would also enter into arrangement with the International Consortium of Travel Agents for promoting tourism in India in general and Goa brand in particular with attractive packages.

Efforts, he said, were afoot now to have a tie-up with Kazakhstan. All packages for promoting Goa would be made available at special counters of the GTDC, hotels, websites, brochures and inflight also.

He also announced commencement of its new flights to and from Goa, the frequency of which would be increased from seven to 14 a week immediately and 21 in next three weeks.

The airlines was also planning to increase the frequency of flights daily to and from Goa and Mumbai. It had already commenced its Delhi-Goa flights earlier this month.

The company had also decided to increase its fleet strength of A320 airbus from existing four to seven shortly and 21 later to serve 13 cities with 193 flights operating weekly. In three years, the fleet strength would touch 33, he informed.

The airlines which started its operations since November 4, 2005 had decided to increase the trips per capita which was as low as 0.01 in India ranking between Ethiopia and Nigeria with much lower GDP, even as the sector was witnessing six per cent annual growth, he said.

Lowering of sales tax on aviation turbun fuel from the existing 24 to 32 per cent, allowing fuel hedging facility to the flight operators for securing aviation fuel at lower rates and construction of 30 more new airports under the public-private partnership route would further promote the aviation sector, he said.

The GoAir at the same time had decided to open Aviation Engineering Institute shortly in collaboration with the Singapore International Airlines Engineering Corpopration (SIAEC) to meet the manpower requirements of the industry.

The main focus of its marketing was on sales through the internet, home delivery of tickets, offering rebates to different segments and promotion through tie-ups both within and outside the country, Mr Raj added.

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