Etihad Airways has said its plan to increase the number of flights operated on Abu Dhabi - Male' route is expected to boost tourist arrivals from Abu Dhabi, the Gulf region, and key European markets.
The Abu-Dhabi based carrier recently announced four additional weekly flights, increasing frequency to the Maldives to 11 services a week between July 1 and September 17, 2017. The announcement was made as the airline completed five years of operations to the Maldives.
“The capacity increase will cater to high demand during the peak summer season,” the airline said. “The summer expansion will be supported by a two-class A320 aircraft operating the route, with 16 business and 120 economy seats.”
“Overall connectivity to and from key destinations in the Gulf and Europe will increase, and new two-way connectivity will be established from markets such as Edinburgh, Jeddah, Madrid, Moscow and Zurich,” the carrier said. “Over the past five years, Etihad Airways has carried more than 450,000 passengers on the route, with the majority travelling to the Maldives from Abu Dhabi, the Gulf region and key European markets.”
Etihad Airways is a key contributor to the Maldivian economy, supporting the vibrant tourism and fishing industries.
Etihad Airways launched daily scheduled flights between the capital cities of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the Maldives on November 1, 2011.