Motion calling to guarantee safety standards on Maldivian flights rejected again

A motion submitted to the Parliament calling on authorities to ascertain the safety of passengers flying on Maldivian, the airline operated by Island Aviation Service – as the company faces financial trouble – has been rejected for the second time.

The motion was submitted to the Parliament on Thursday morning by PNC deputy leader, Maavah MP Mohamed Saeed.

He had also submitted it as an emergency motion on Wednesday, but it was rejected.

The motion was rejected again on Thursday with a majority vote of 19 parliamentarians. Only eight parliamentarians had voted in favor of approving the motion for debate.

Saeed said that mismanagement within Island Aviation had pushed the company to the brink of bankruptcy.

“The management of Island Aviation has failed, leading to the company to face its worst financial troubles in history, and pushing it to the brink of bankruptcy. Audit reports show the company incurred a loss of MVR 400 million in 2020, and a loss of MVR 159 million last year,” he said.

Saeed said that the company’s staff were being paid their salaries by taking a loan from the Finance Ministry.

He said that technical issues on Maldivian’s planes had increased recently, and that some planes had to be grounded because tires couldn’t be changed within the required period of time and due to lack of availability of spare parts.

Saeed called on the government to ensure safety standards are maintained and ascertain the safety of passengers in order to prevent a tragedy that may arise due to the situation.