Emirates Airline has flown over 224,000 tourists to the Maldives, upholding its title as carrier of highest number of passengers to Maldives since border reopening.
Latest statistics publicized by the Ministry of Tourism revealed that the airline had flown 224,353 tourists to the popular island destination between January 1 – December 1.
With 2,588 flight movements in the reporting period, Emirates increased the frequency of flights operating to the island nation in the beginning of the year. Emirates expects the boosted services to meet market demand to the popular holiday destination.
The airline has held the title of top airline bringing tourists into the Maldives and continues to do so since the beginning of the country’s tourism-revival journey.
Into the beginning of a snail paced few months of low tourist arrivals since borders were reopened on 15 July 2020, Emirates topped the short list of airlines operating to the Maldives.
A number of international airlines are increasing flight frequency to the island nation, in light of the growing demand of visitors.
While Maldives discontinued issuing on-arrival visas on 27 March 2020, nearly four months later the government reopened borders for international travel, following which Qatar Airways was the first airline to commence flight operations to the island nation. The airline currently ranks second, having brought 193,720 passengers through 2,212 flights.
IndiGo follows closely at third with 2,244 flight movements and 154,664 passengers.
Other airlines operating flights to Maldives include:
- Aeroflot with 888 flight movements and 126,662 passengers,
- Go Air with 1,536 flight movements and 91,389 passengers,
- Fly Dubai with 1,152 flight movements and 61,772 passengers,
- Turkish Airlines with 880 flight movements and 56,712 passengers,
- Etihad Airways with 658 flight movements and 44,725 passengers,
- Lufthansa with 242 flight movements and 24,957 passengers,
- Azur Air Russia with 96 flight movements and 22,737 passengers,
- Sri Lankan Airlines with 1,328 flight movements and 22,057 passengers,
- Condor with 186 flight movements and 19,242 passengers,
- Saudi Arabian Airlines with 424 flight movements and 18,252 passengers,
- Spice Jet with 448 flight movements and 16,805 passengers,
- British Airways with 194 flight movements and 13,662 passengers,
- Air India with 252 flight movements and 13,656 passengers,
- Edelweiss with 154 flight movements and 13,535 passengers,
- Austrian Airlines with 110 flight movements and 11,902passengers,
- Gulf Air with 696 flight movements and 11,660 passengers,
- Singapore Airlines with 440 flight movements and 10,924 passengers,
- Air Seychelles with 116 flight movements and 5,655 passengers,
- Blue Panorama with 38 flight movements and 5,253 passengers,
- Neos with 24 flight movements and 3,305 passengers,
- Air India Express with 28 flight movements and 2,388 passengers,
- Air France with 32 flight movements and 1,968 passengers,
- Silk Air with 50 flight movements and 1,264 passengers,
- US Bangla Airlines with 12 flight movements and 431 passengers,
- 448 passengers touched down in Maldives on other airlines.
Since borders were reopened the country’s national airline, Maldivian has carried 29,248 passengers.
Further, Maldives recorded 51,998 out of the total of 1,202,984 visitors recorded thus far this year, having arrived in chartered international flights.
Some of the international airlines operating chartered flights to Maldives include Air Astana having carried 13,937 passengers, Azur Air Ukraine with 6,626 passengers and Iberia with 5,371 passengers.
Maldives crossed the one millionth tourist arrival target for the year in October 2021 with which Maldives is inching closer to its tourist arrivals target for the ongoing year, set at 1.3 million.
Maldives is gearing up to mark 50 years since the tourism industry’s inception, in 2022, which is to be celebrated as the golden year of tourism in Maldives.
