Maldivian Airlines Relaunch Flights Between Hanimaadhoo and Trivandrum

State-owned airline Maldivian Airlines has now started nonstop flights connecting the city of Trivandrum to the vibrant Hanimaadhoo Islands. With this, the air connectivity between India and Maldives expands to a total of three Maldivian Airports.

Maldivian Airlines: Bridging Trivandrum to Hanimaadhoo

On April 12, Maldivian Airlines started operating non-stop flights between both airports. This was a resumption flight. Maldivian Airlines was operating flights on these routes till 2022. It stopped this service because of the construction work going on at Hanimaadhoo Island Airport. Now that the construction work is complete, the airline is back at the airport.

 

It announced the resumption of Trivandrum services on March 6. On March 12, the airline operated the inaugural flight. DHC Dash 8-300 registered as 8Q-IAT operated the resumption flight. From now on, the airline will be operating twice-weekly flights on this route. Flights will operate on Mondays and Fridays. Here is a quick look at the flight timings:

According to data from planespotters.net, the airline has a fleet of eight Dash 8 turboprop aircraft. Out of this, 1 is used for Medical Emergency Services by the Government. One is a 37-seater aircraft, while the remaining 6 are configured with 50 seats.

Connecting India to Three Maldivian Airports

With this addition from Maldivian Airlines, India is now connected to three airports in Maldives. Various airlines operate flights from Indian metro cities to Male Velana International Airport. On March 1, Manta Air launched non-stop flights between Dhaalu Island and Bengaluru Kempegowda International Airport. That was a whole new connection. And now, Maldivian has resumed this service.

 

Commenting on this flight, the Managing Director of Maldivian Mr. Ibrahim Ilyas said that this route will benefit the airline’s customers and will help uplift the economy of the region. He thanked all the authorities and partners to make this route resumption a possibility. He emphasized that Regional Airports Company Limited (RACL) had a crucial role to play in this process.

Bookings for flights between Hanimaadhoo Island and Trivandrum are now available on the airline website and mobile app.

Male, Hanimaadhoo & Dhaalu, A Look at Maldivian Connectivity

India is currently connected to three Maldivian Airports. These are:

🔵Male Velana International Airport (MLE)

🔵Dhaalu International Airport (DDD)

🔵Hanimaadhoo International Airport (HAQ)

 

During the pandemic, IndiGo and SpiceJet used to operate charter flights to Gan International Airport as well. But no scheduled flights are operated from Gan to India.

Male Airport is connected to 5 Indian airports. Vistara connects to Delhi via daily A320 flights. Earlier, IndiGo also operated on this route but it has stopped flying because of huge groundings owing to Pratt & Whitney engine issues. Vistara and IndiGo both operate one daily flight from Mumbai. IndiGo and Maldivian operate from Bengaluru and Kochi Airport. IndiGo operates daily flights, while Maldivian operates 2X and 4X weekly flights respectively. Maldivian also connects Male to Trivandrum with 4X weekly A320 flights.

 

On March 1, Manta Air launched services between Bengaluru and Dhaalu Airport. It operates 3X weekly on this route. The third destination is Hanimaadhoo which we have already discussed in detail above. Airlines like Maldivian and Manta Air want to increase their presence in India by expanding into the Northern part of the country. Manta Air Managing Director earlier told Deccan Herald that the airline will acquire some A321 aircraft to connect Maldives to Delhi, as their current ATR 72 aircraft is not capable of doing so because of lack of range.

Have you traveled onboard Maldivian Airlines? If yes, discuss your experience in the comments section.

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