Twenty-three flights were scheduled from eight countries to help tourists stranded in the Maldives depart the country, according to the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation, Mohamed Ameen.
The minister said the situation has eased significantly following efforts to find alternative routes for tourists to travel to and from the Maldives, after disruptions to flights in the Middle East.
On average, around 60 flights operate to the Maldives each day, with roughly 20 arriving from the Middle East. But between February the nineteenth and March the third, about nineteen flights were cancelled daily. That disruption affected an estimated 2,800 to 3,000 tourists every day.
The minister said the aviation sector is closely linked to the country’s economy, particularly the tourism industry, which is its main source of revenue. The minister revealed several steps have now been taken to stabilise the situation.
Among them, Russia’s national carrier Aeroflot has increased its flights to the Maldives to twice daily, adding around 2,000 seats. Flights operated by Air India have also been doubled.
To improve Europe-United States connection, the government says two daily services by Etihad Airways and narrow-body flights by AirAsia are expected to be replaced with larger wide-body aircraft, with arrangements still being finalised.
Flights to Dhaka have also resumed, while discussions are continuing with other countries to restore additional services.
The minister added that increased frequencies for private jets have also been accommodated and said the government’s efforts have eased the impact of the disruption on travellers and the tourism sector.