As part of efforts to modernize its fleet, the national airline Maldivian has brought in another ATR aircraft. This is the fifth ATR aircraft added to Maldivian’s fleet. The aircraft brought for Maldivian’s service is an ATR 42-600 variant with a capacity of 46 passengers. The plane arrived in the Maldives yesterday evening at 4:00 PM. Before landing at Velana Airport, the aircraft made a low pass over the runway. As the plane touched down on the runway, it was greeted with a water salute.
A special ceremony was held at Velana International Airport to mark the addition of another ATR aircraft to Maldivian’s fleet. The ceremony was attended by the Minister of Tourism and Environment, Tariq Ibrahim, Maldivian’s Managing Director Ibrahim Iyas, and senior officials from Island Aviation, MACL, and Immigration. Speaking at the ceremony, Tourism Minister Tariq Ibrahim said that the government is working hard to bring modern changes to Maldivian. The minister also expressed hope that Maldivian would begin long-haul flights by the end of this year.
“Maldivian is already operating direct flights to three regions of the Maldives. And in collaboration with the government, they are working hard to operate flights to popular destinations like Europe. If we can work this way, we are hopeful of bringing 2.3 million tourists to the Maldives,” said Tourism Minister Tariq Ibrahim.
Speaking at the ceremony, Maldivian’s Managing Director Ibrahim Iyas said that the new ATR aircraft will bring benefits to both the airline’s operations and the passengers who use the airline’s services. “With the introduction of this brand new aircraft, our technical reliability has been greatly improved. Along with that, we will be able to significantly improve our on-time performance. As this is the most modern technology cabin, it will greatly enhance the experience of traveling passengers,” said MD Ibrahim Iyas.
Maldivian’s fleet includes 25 aircraft. This includes a wide-body Airbus A330, a narrow-body Airbus A320, four ATR aircraft, nine Dash 8 aircraft, and eleven Dash 6 Twin Otter aircraft. It is the government’s goal to expand Maldivian’s services and start flights to many international destinations. Accordingly, in line with President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu’s promise, the government is working to bring an additional wide-body aircraft to the national airline.
