President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu has stated that the Airbus A330-200 wide-body aircraft of national airline, Maldivian will commence flights in November. The President made the statement during the ceremony held to mark the Independence Day of the Maldives.
Island Aviation Services Limited (IASL) signed an agreement with TrueNoord Carst Lindeboom to facilitate the national airline with an Airbus A330-200 wide-body aircraft. TrueNoord is a company specialising in aircraft leasing to various airlines.
Stating that the national airline’s first wide-body aircraft’s flights will commence in November, the president added that this will help increase the number of tourist arrivals to the country. He further added that work to increase direct flights to several destinations is ongoing and noted that direct flights to various parts of China have been arranged within the past eight months.
President Muizzu reiterated that the addition of a wide-body aircraft to the national airline’s fleet is part of his pledges to develop the transport sector of the country. He noted that this is part of the work to commence direct flights over long distances.
Managing Director of IASL Ibrahim 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.