Maldives has signed an agreement to facilitate the national airline, Maldivian, with an Airbus A330-200 wide-body aircraft from a globally renowned brand. This initiative aims to fulfil a pledge of President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu.
The agreement was signed by the Managing Director of Island Aviation Services Limited (IASL) Ibrahim Iyaz and the Chief Commercial Officer (CCO) of TrueNoord Carst Lindeboom. TrueNood is a company specialising in aircraft leasing to various airlines.
Speaking at the signing ceremony, Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation Mohamed Ameen commended the previous administrations for their efforts to facilitate the acquisition of wide-body aircraft. The minister emphasised that these efforts have come to fruition under President Dr. Muizzu’s leadership, highlighting the president's commitment to fulfilling his pledge. He also noted that this development will significantly bolster the aviation sector, enhance tourism, and contribute to the nation's economic growth.
Meanwhile, Managing Director of IASL Iyaz said that the decision to supply a wide-body aircraft to the airline was decided by the Cabinet on December 2023. He elaborated on the government's efforts to source the aircraft through competitive bidding and confirmed that the necessary financial support has been provided to facilitate the acquisition.
Furthermore, Iyaz revealed that the A330-200 aircraft has the ability to travel a distance of 13,000km directly, which is three times greater than that of a narrow-body aircraft. He mentioned that the aircraft is expected to arrive in the last quarter of the year and that initial flight operations will be launched between the Maldives and China. He also expressed his vision of expanding services to European and South African destinations in the future.
The new Airbus, scheduled for delivery later this year, will feature three classes: business, premium economy, and economy, with a total capacity of 264 passengers.