Emirates on Wednesday celebrated 30 years of flight operations to the Maldives.
A special ceremony was held at the main Velana International Airport Wednesday morning where Emirates first flight of the day was given a water salute on landing, followed by cutting of a cake. The ceremony was attended by top officials of the state owned airport operator Maldives Airports Company Limited (MACL) and Emirates office in Maldives.
Speaking at the ceremony, MACL Managing Director Adil Moosa said Emirates has helped in the development of the airport and its facilities. The benefits are enjoyed by the Maldives tourism industry as well as local travellers, he added.
A representative of Emirates told the attendees that it was proud to be amongst the biggest airlines operating in the Maldives. Efforts would be made to strengthen and expand its operations in the island nation, he added.
Emirates began its service to the Maldives in May 1987 using a single Boeing 727 aircraft. It now operates four times daily service to the Maldives from Dubai with transit routes including neighbouring Sri Lanka, and uses Boeing 777-300s for its Male operations.
Emirates has become a major airline operating to the Maldives and has been serving for years as a preferred airline of tourists visiting the islands from far corners of the world, especially Europe.
The United Arab Emirates airline has been named the best airline in the world on several occasions with the latest being awards from leading travel planning and booking website TripAdvisor for the Top Airline in the World, Best First Class and Best Economy Class.