The national airline, Maldivian, is set to launch direct flights to four cities in China.
The announcement was made at a ceremony held in Beijing, China, by Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation, Mohamed Ameen. Speaking at the ceremony, he detailed that the direct flight will connect Velana International Airport (VIA) with four major cities, Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu, and Xian, using a wide-body Airbus A330-200 aircraft.
During the ceremony, a presentation on enhancing tourism, trade, and transport between both countries was delivered, including information on the wide-body aircraft to be soon added to Maldivian's fleet.
While China remains the top source market for the Maldives tourism, the new links are expected to boost the tourism and transport sectors.
In addition to domestic flights, Maldivian currently operates international flights to Dhaka, Bangladesh; Trivandrum, Cochin, and Bangalore in India; and Colombo, Sri Lanka. The airline has plans to expand its coverage to Europe and Africa, with efforts already underway to establish connections, including seeking agents from these destinations.