According to the Embassy of Uzbekistan, an Airbus A320 Neo departed from Tashkent and landed at Goa’s Manohar International Airport at 10:55 a.m. local time, where it was welcomed with a traditional water salute.

Uzbekistan Airways will now operate regular flights between Tashkent and Goa twice a week, on Wednesdays and Sundays. The new route offers citizens of Uzbekistan and travelers from neighboring countries convenient access to Goa’s popular beach destinations, while also providing Indian tourists from Goa and surrounding regions direct travel to Uzbekistan.

Currently, Uzbekistan Airways and IndiGo operate a combined total of 16 weekly flights from Tashkent to India’s major cities, Delhi and Mumbai. With the addition of the new route to Goa, the total number of weekly flights between Uzbekistan and India has risen to 18.