The Covid-19 pandemic has done little to diminish Goa’s allure as an international tourist destination, with Russian and British charter airlines already approaching the Union ministry of civil aviation and the Airports Authority of India for permission to land in the coming months.

According to sources, Moscow’s Royal Flight and TUI have shown keen interest in bringing tourists to Goa on chartered flights beginning from October 26.

“Royal Flights has requested for 169 slots from October 26 and TUI is asking for three to five slots per week,” said an official, adding that the Centre would decide on the slots. Though India has travel arrangements with a handful of countries, including UK, scheduled international flights have not been permitted.

In Goa, the Covid curve is yet to show any signs of flattening with cases continuing to rise by 500-600 per day.

Though chief minister Pramod Sawant permitted the tourism sector to open up in July, the percentage of tourists visiting the state is in single digits.

The government has also lifted all restrictions on entry into the state with testing or quarantine no longer mandatory.

The state depends on tourism to keep its economy running and the arrival of charter flights, which make up the bulk of Goa’s foreign tourist arrivals, will provide a boost to the local economy, said a state government official.