The national airline of Maldives, Maldivian, is set to begin long-haul flights. President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu has announced that the second Airbus A330-200 wide-body aircraft acquired by Maldivian will start operations in October this year. Speaking at the ceremony marking the commencement of operations for Maldivian’s first wide-body aircraft at Velana International Airport, the President stated that today is a very colorful and historic day in the aviation history of Maldives.
“This is a decision made during the discussions and planning of our country’s future vision while preparing our manifesto for the presidential election. To expand the tourism sector manifold, we needed to increase the capacity of our national airline. Thus, we decided to introduce wide-body aircraft capable of long-haul flights,” the President said.
He mentioned that he had promised to bring two wide-body aircraft to expand operations, and today, as the first aircraft arrives in the Maldives, that joy is being realized. The President stated that this would bring significant progress to the tourism industry in the coming months.
“This is just the beginning. Although the first aircraft arrived today, I can assure you that the second aircraft will begin operations in October this year,” the President said.
The President explained that with the collaborative efforts of the Finance Ministry, Island Aviation, and the Transport Ministry, all stages will be completed, and the aircraft will be ready for operations by October. He added that while today’s flights will reach destinations in China, in the future, tourists will be brought from even more destinations.
“The progress we gain from this is a significant advancement in our efforts to grow and expand our economy. It’s a major step forward in having our own flights, in Maldivian hands, to bring tourists to our country,” he stated.
The President said that this would advance the aviation industry. He also mentioned that in the coming days, both Island Aviation and MACL (Maldives Airports Company Limited) would see further progress, with many milestones to be achieved within this year.
