196 tourists arrive from Changsha

196 tourists have arrived in the Maldives from Changsha, Hunan, China, on national airline Maldivian’s first flight from this city.

Maldivian's newly-acquired A321 aircraft landed at Ibrahim Nasir International Airport (INIA) at 6:40 a.m. today.

Head of Administration of Maldivian Ali Nashath told Sun Online that the airline would operate one flight per week to Changsha.

The 196 tourists were greeted with roses and a boduberu performance at INIA.

With the new aircraft, Maldivian has announced plans to commence operations to three new destinations. 200 tourists arrived in Maldives from the first of these locations, Nanjing, on Wednesday.

Island Aviation Service, the company that operates Maldivian, said that the new flights would facilitate the arrival of 200 tourists from China daily – resulting in the possible arrival of 1,000 tourists per week and 4,000 tourists per month.