Second Airbus A-330 will begin operations in Oct: President

President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu on Monday, said the second Airbus A-330 wide-body aircraft of the national carrier, Maldivian, will commence operations in October this year.

He made the remarks at Velana International Airport (VIA) during a ceremony held by the national carrier to welcome its first-ever wide-body aircraft to the fleet.

Inclusion of two wide-body Airbus A-330 aircraft to the fleet of Maldivian, aimed at expanding the airline’s international aviation operations, is a key pledge of President Muizzu. The first of the two of these aircraft touched down in the Maldives on Monday afternoon.

With the arrival of the first wide-body aircraft, Maldivian is expected to launch direct flight routes three destinations of China; which include Beijing, Shanghai, and Chengdu.

Speaking about the aircraft’s arrival, President Muizzu said the expansion of aviation operations to new destinations will drive up the economy with the subsequent increment in tourist arrivals.

“We anticipate the Island Aviation and Maldives Airports Company Limited will make new strides in the next couple of days,” Muizzu said.

Maldivian is aiming to expand its international operations to seven new destinations including South Africa’s Johannesburg, and three cities each from China and Europe.

Although Maldivian operated to international routes previously, including South Africa and China, it had operated these flights via transits owing to lack of long-haul flights.

Currently, Maldivian boasts of 13 aircraft in its fleet which include an Airbus A320, four ATRs, and older Dash-8 Twin Otters.