Maldivian: Flights will be increased with additional airports

National airline, Maldivian says it will increase its capacity and schedule additional flights as more airports are built in the country.

There are currently 11 airports operational in the country. An additional airport is due to be opened in Dh. Kudahuvadhoo this March, and Malaysian company Gryphon Energy was contracted last week to build five more airports by October, 2018.

Managing Director of Island Aviation – which runs Maldivian, Abdul Haaris spoke to “Sun” about how Maldivian will handle the change. He said the airline will be increasing its capacity by scheduling additional flights.

“We will, god willing, increase our capacity as the number of airports increase. Air transportation is vital given the geographical makeup of Maldives,” said Haaris.

Haaris said Maldivian had also been increasing its capacity based on expansion of the tourism industry of Maldives.

Maldivian currently has 20 aircrafts in its fleet.

The most persistent complaints raised by customers against the airline remains the high ticket prices for regional flights and delays.

Haaris advised locals to make early bookings, and said in an earlier interview that developing the country’s tourism industry was a higher priority for the company, and that the company was open for negotiation to lower the ticket prices for tourists.