Oman Air has launched a brand-new service between the Omani capital of Muscat and Goa, India.

The new service, which was announced in January 2015 and started earlier, offers four flights per week.

Goa is Oman Air’s eleventh destination in India, and the service meets strong demand from leisure travellers drawn by Goa’s famed natural beauty.

Furthermore, it provides air travellers from India’s eastern coast with even greater opportunities to visit Oman and experience the country’s rich culture and authentic hospitality.

Launching the new service, Oman Air chief executive, Paul Gregorowitsch, said: “I am delighted to announce that Oman Air’s new service between Muscat and Goa is now in operation.

“The service has already been greeted by strong demand from our customers and bookings are running at an encouraging level.

“Goa is noted around the world as a beautiful destination for leisure travellers.

“Its relaxed pace, beautiful scenery and outstanding hospitality sector make it an ideal destination for holiday-makers. It is therefore a much-appreciated addition to Oman Air’s network, as our eleventh destination in India.

“Furthermore, the Sultanate of Oman is seeing continuous increases in the number of Indian citizens visiting our shores. Our new service will offer many of them an even more convenient way of flying to Muscat with Oman Air and we look forward to giving them a warm welcome.”

The new destination is the latest to be announced as Oman Air undergoes its current phase of major expansion.

This will see the airline increase the size of its fleet from 30 in 2014 to 70 by 2020.

Oman Air will also be adding many more new destinations to its network, as well as increasing frequencies on many established routes.

As a result, millions more customers will have the opportunity to experience Oman Air’s award-winning service and authentic Omani hospitality.

Goa’s Portuguese-influenced Indian culture, miles of palm-fringed beaches and abundance of hotels and resorts have, for many years, made it one of the world’s most popular tourist destinations.

Located on the east coast of India and overlooking the Gulf of Arabia, Goa is less than three hours’ flight time from Muscat.