The partnership will open up Maldivian’s extensive domestic network to Emirates’ passengers.
Emirates has established an interline agreement with Maldivian, opening up the two carriers’ extensive networks. The partnership came into force on September 15th, following the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that was signed in February 2022.
Thanks to the agreement, Emirates’ passengers will be able to connect seamlessly to 16 destinations across the Maldivian archipelago, via Velana International Airport (MLE) in the North Malé atoll. In return, Maldivian passengers will have access to Emirates’ extensive global network of over 140 destinations. Additional benefits of the interline agreement include easy baggage transfers and single-ticket booking.
The full list of domestic destinations served by Maldivian and now open to Emirates’ customers is:
- Dharavandhoo Island (DRV)
- Faresmathoda Airport (FMT)
- Funadhoo Airport (FND)
- Fuvahmulak Island Airport (FVM)
- Gan Island International (GAN)
- Kooddoo Island (GKK)
- Hanimaadhoo Island Airport (HAQ)
- Kulhudhuffushi Airport (HDK)
- Hoarafushi Airport (HRF)
- Kaadedhdhoo Island Airport (KDM)
- Kadhdhoo Island (KDO)
- Madivaru Airport (LMV)
- Maafaru International Airport (NMF)
- Maavarulu Airport (RUL)
- Thimarafushi Airport (TMF)
- Ifuru (IFU)
Emirates’ Chief Commercial Officer, Adnan Kazim, expressed his delight at the new partnership, saying,
“We are delighted to establish a partnership with Maldivian, to expand our reach into more points in the Maldives. By partnering with the Maldivian flag carrier, we are able to offer customers smooth connections when flying to a wide choice of islands within the country via Malé. By extending this added-value benefit, our customers can plan their journey to the Maldives with the convenience of booking flights on a single ticket to reach their final destination.”
The General Manager – Commercial at Maldivian, Ibrahim Hamdhan Mohamed, was equally pleased with the agreement, adding,
“We are excited to embark on this journey with Emirates, a global aviation leader. This partnership would enable us to increase the visibility of our extensive domestic network, and it aligns perfectly with our objective of providing seamless connectivity to travelers. Customers will be able to plan and book their entire journey directly through the airline with ease.”
Emirates began flying to the Maldives in 1987, and today operates 28 weekly flights between its hub at Dubai International Airport (DXB) and Velana International Airport (MLE). All flights are operated by the airline’s Boeing 777-300ER aircraft. The carrier has established interline agreements with over 100 airlines worldwide, including Aerolíneas Argentinas, Air Canada, KLM, Malaysia Airlines, and Vistara.
In addition to its 16 domestic destinations, Maldivian also flies to a handful of international destinations, including Kochi (COK), Thiruvananthapuram (TRV), and Dhaka (DAC), and in October will begin flying to Bengaluru (BLR).
Data from ch-aviation.com shows that the airline currently operates a fleet of 24 aircraft, made up of one Airbus A320 and 23 turboprops (a mix of ATR and De Havilland Canada aircraft). The three ATR aircraft (one ATR 42-600 and two ATR 72-600s) were delivered to the airline earlier this year.
The flag carrier of the Maldives will soon embark on widebody operations, when the first of two Airbus A330-200s arrives later this year. It is not yet known on which routes Maldivian will deploy the aircraft.
Source: Business Traveller, ch-aviation.com