A Qatar Airways flight made a successful emergency landing at Velana International Airport (VIA) on Friday night, with all occupants safe.

Confirming that Qatar Airways QR 677 headed to Doha landed safely at around 9:44pm, Maldives Airports Company Limited (MACL) said that all passengers and crew of the flight "are safe".

It has been reported that the pilot had to make the emergency landing due to a damaged window, which is a serious onboard safety issue.

Volunteers of the Maldives Red Crescent (MRC) were at the scene, to provide psychosocial support to the passengers.

Qatar Airways currently operates four daily flights to Maldives, having made the change from three in early July.