Maldives courts new airlines to mitigate impact of Middle East conflict

The Transport Ministry says it is working on bringing in more airlines to the Maldives in order to mitigate the impact of the current conflict in the Middle East, as continued air strikes keep major airports in the region closed and flights cancelled.

Key transit airports, including Dubai and Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates, and Doha in Qatar, were shut or severely restricted as much of the region’s airspace remained closed, with the Gulf grappling with uncertainty after US and Israeli strikes killed Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei on Saturday.

Israel said it launched another wave of strikes on Iran on Sunday, while loud blasts were heard for a second day near Dubai and over Doha, after Iran launched retaliatory air attacks on the neighboring states that host US assets.

Dubai International Airport sustained damage during Iran's attacks, while airports in Abu Dhabi and Kuwait were also hit.

The airport closures have rippled far beyond the Middle East. Dubai and Doha sit at the crossroads of east-west air travel, funneling long-haul traffic between Europe and Asia through tightly scheduled networks of connecting flights. With those hubs idle, aircraft and crews remained stranded out of position, disrupting airline schedules worldwide, including in the Maldives, which is heavily dependent on tourism.

Flight cancellations on Saturday left 1,400 tourists stranded at the Velana International Airport (VIA) in Male’.

Another 12 flights scheduled for Sunday have been cancelled, according to Aviators Maldives.

In a statement on Sunday afternoon, the Transport Ministry acknowledged the vital role of travel – especially travel from the Middle East – to the Maldives’ tourism industry and the larger economy.

The ministry said that it is closely monitoring the situation, and working with major airlines that travel to the Maldives as well as national and international agencies in response.

“Our biggest goal is to mitigate potential inconveniences to the tourists who visit the Maldives, the Maldivians who travel overseas, and everyone who lives in this country,” said the ministry.

While there have been changes to the schedules of some airlines that operate flights to the Maldives from the Middle East, other airlines continue to operate flights as scheduled.

The Transport Ministry said that is engaged in discussions regarding bringing in more airlines from South East Asia, East Asia, and India in order to mitigate the impact of the current conflict.

Airlines across Europe, Asia and the Middle East have cancelled or rerouted flights to avoid closed or restricted airspace, lengthening journeys and driving up fuel costs. The disruption has been intensified by the loss of Iranian and Iraqi overflight routes, which had grown more important since the Russia-Ukraine war forced airlines to avoid both countries' airspace.

The Middle East airspace closures are squeezing airlines into narrower corridors, with fighting between Pakistan and Afghanistan adding a further risk.