Flight frequencies to Maldives improving, says tourism minister
Tourism Minister Mohamed Ameen said on Tuesday that flight frequencies from Gulf countries to the Maldives are increasing and tourist arrivals are gradually recovering despite disruptions caused by the conflict in the Middle East.
Speaking at a press conference held by the special ministerial committee established by President Dr Mohamed Muizzu, Ameen said airlines operating through Gulf transit hubs had initially reduced services after several countries closed parts of their airspace.
According to the minister, airlines including Emirates, flydubai, Etihad Airways, Qatar Airways and Kuwait Airways have resumed operations to the Maldives, although frequencies remain below previous levels.
Ameen stated that cancellations from Gulf carriers had reached 99 flights per week during the early stages of the conflict.
He said the figure has now declined to 70 weekly cancellations.
“This represents a 22% improvement. When I refer to this as progress, I am not suggesting we have fully returned to pre-conflict levels,” Ameen said.
“During the first few weeks, we saw around 90 flight cancellations. However, all five major Gulf airlines are currently operating to the Maldives.”
The minister also outlined changes in tourist arrival and airline capacity figures since the conflict began.
According to Ameen:
- Tourist arrivals were down 22 per cent compared to the previous year by the end of March
- The decline narrowed to 17 per cent by the end of this month
- Airline seat capacity to the Maldives increased by 2 per cent compared to last year
Ameen added that the government reduced jet fuel prices from USD 1.9 to USD 1.6 from May last year in an effort to encourage airlines to maintain and expand operations to the Maldives.
“Through the collaborative efforts of government institutions, the tourism industry and stakeholders in the aviation sector, we have managed to slow the decline in arrivals,” he said.
