Maldives Airports Company Limited (MACL) has announced Italian airline Neos has resumed flights to the Maldives. Neos has resumed direct flights from Milan and Rome to Velana International Airport (VIA), stated Neos.
Neos has scheduled flights for Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday and will be using a wide-body aircraft with 350 seats. Neos previously halted flights to the Maldives due to challenges faced by the airline following the COVID-19 pandemic.
Italy ranked as one of the biggest source markets to the Maldives prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, with 136,343 tourist visits from Italy recorded in 2019. However, the number of tourist visits from Italy has significantly decreased following the COVID-19 pandemic.
Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC) has stated the arrival figures from Italy is expected to increase within the next few months with the ease of travel restrictions.
The Government of Italy removed the Maldives from its travel red list on September 22. As such the Maldives was placed on Italy's green list for travel, exempting travellers returning from the Maldives from undergoing quarantine in Italy.