Air India Express, India's first international budget airline, on Monday said it has commenced operations from Goa International Airport, with four weekly direct flights on the Goa-Dubai route.

The first flight IX 840 took off at 1:00 am on Monday with 148 passengers on board from Dabolim Airport.

To mark the occasion, Aloke Singh, Managing Director, Air India Express and AirAsia India, said: "We are thrilled to start our maiden international services from Goa under the Air India Express banner, which is amongst India's most popular tourist destinations".

Singh said that the airline takes pride in being the only airline that offers direct connectivity to Dubai from Goa. AirAsia India, which is set to merge with Air India Express, already operates 13 daily direct flights to/from Goa, connecting five domestic cities.

"We hope to be a part of the tourism success story of the state and remain committed to offering the best of services to our customers," he added.

Earlier in the evening, the Goa travel trade joined the celebrations marking the entry of Air India Express to Goa at a function held at a city hotel with the senior leadership teams of Air India Express and AirAsia India.

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