The Minister of Tourism, Ali Waheed has revealed that three flights are scheduled to bring in tourists on the day Maldives is set to reopen borders.
Joining the nightly press briefing at the National Emergency Operations Center (NEOC) on Wednesday night, the minister noted that 11 airlines have expressed interest is beginning flights to the Maldives thus far and that three flights are scheduled on July 15 alone.
As such, the 11 airlines had reserved slots to schedule flights to the island nation before the border reopening date was announced by President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih.
The ministry had gone into discussions with the airlines that scheduled regular flights to the Maldives prior to being hit by the global Covid-19 pandemic, and most of the airlines are preparing to launch scheduled flights to the island nation within July.
The remaining airlines have given guarantee that they will begin flights within August. Three flights are scheduled to land on July 15 alone. The first flight will land that morning. Meetings have been held with all airport stakeholders. The airport is ready to open for tourism”Ali Waheed, Tourism Minister
Some of the airlines ready to begin flights once the Maldives reopens borders include Sri Lankan Airlines, Silk Airways, Emirates, IndiGo, Etihad Airways, Singapore Airlines, Turkish Airlines and Hong Kong Airlines.
Shedding light on the preparations at the airport, Minister Waheed revealed that the Maldives Airports Company Limited (MACL) has given assurance that they will work to give clearance to flights to land very 20 minutes under the new normal. Within June, which is coming to an end, MACL will work to bring additional required amendments.
On arrival visa will be provided. For the safety of the citizens as well as tourists, PCR testing will be conducted for arrivals that show symptoms at the border, in order to ensure security. Random testing will also be carried out if required. This will be maintained within the upcoming days. Stringent measures will be taken to ensure a second surge does not arise”Ali Waheed, Tourism Minister
On Tuesday, president Solih officially announced the decision to reopen the country’s borders on July 15, along with tourist resorts. The Maldives closed its borders for tourists on March 27.
The president expressed comfort in the fact that Maldives has been declared a safe travel destination, by Germany, one of the highest tourist markets of the island nation.
In mid-June, Germany publicized a list of 130 countries and regions at a higher risk of the global pandemic and Maldives is listed as a safe destination.
