Local airlines oppose granting domestic license to Sri Lankan

Local airlines have opposed granting permission to Sri Lankan to conduct domestic flights between Seenu Gan and Male'.

Maldivian, the country’s national airline stated that they do not support international airlines to be allowed to conduct flights in local routes and that if allowed, it would pose great obstacles for the future of the Maldives aviation industry. Maldivian said that the move is likely to drive certain local aviation companies to bankruptcy.

“Such a situation would prove that all the efforts made by this company and other private parties to develop and maintain the Maldives aviation industry to have been efforts made in vain. It will plunge the country’s economy into irremediable loss,” a statement released by Maldivian stated.

However, International airlines are welcome to fly to the Maldives, Maldivian said, and that they welcome Sri Lankan to fly straight from Colombo to Gan in Addu City. It would have immense economic benefits for the City and the country as whole, Maldivian said.

The company said that commencing flights from Colombo to Gan would greatly contribute to the development of Maldives tourism.

Rilwan Shareef, Managing Director the domestic airline Villa Air told Sun that the company has written to the Civil Aviation Authority of Maldives highlighting their concern on allowing international flights to operate on domestic routes.

“We are concerned about allowing an outside airline to take part in internal traffic. It will reduce the revenue flow to the country and cause obstacles to the development of the domestic network,” Rilwan said.

Rilwan said that allowing a large international airline such as Sri Lankan to operate on domestic routes would cause local airlines to face bankruptcy.

“Small airlines such as us will have to face a huge loss. It will obstruct the development of the civil aviation industry in the Maldives. The government must give careful consideration before making such a decision,” Rilwan said.

Rilwan said that he too welcomes international flights to operate between Seenu Gan and Colombo and that it would be beneficial for the economy.

Chief Executive Officer at the Civil Aviation Authority Hussain Jaleel said today that the government received a proposition from Sri Lankan to conduct flights between Gan and Colombo and that the government is currently discussing the proposition. Although the government has discussed “other” factors regarding the matter, they have not made a final decision, Hussan Jaleel said.

“We have forwarded the concerns of local airlines, the obstacles they will face if an international airline starts flights between Gan and Male’. Government is discussing the matter,” Jaleel said.

Although Sri Lankan has proposed to conduct flights between Colombo and Seenu Gan, the Civil Aviation authority has made no mention of a the airline’s proposition to commence flights between Gan and Male’. However, it has come to light that Sri Lankan has held discussions with the government to carry passengers who wish to go from Male’ to Colombo on the same flight from Gan to Colombo.

Sri Lankan newspaper “The Daily Mirror”, referring to a government official from Sri Lanka stated that Sri Lankan had requested permission to hold direct flights to Gan to increase the amount of visitors to the Maldives, and that the airline had also proposed to hold direct flights from Sri Lanka to Gan and from Gan to Male’, two flights per week.