Maldives flagship carrier Maldivian has announced plans to welcome another aircraft to its fleet.
In a statement, parent company Island Aviation Services Limited (IAS) said the 50 seater Dash 8-300 aircraft would arrive in the Maldives by mid-November.
“The company is currently working on the delivery process and fine-tuning the modifications such as the cabin upgrades and other reformations for the delivery in November,” the statement read.
Maldivian issued Request For Proposals (RFPs) in March for the purchase of a DHC 8-300 aircraft and for the leasing of an Airbus A321. No updates have been given on the Airbus aircraft, but a separate RFP has been issued for the wet lease of an Airbus A330-200.
Maldivian currently operates a fleet of two Dash 8-200 series aircrafts, seven Dash 8-300 series aircrafts, and an Airbus 320 and another Airbus 321 aircraft. The Dash 8 aircrafts are primarily used for domestic operations while the two Airbus aircrafts serve the airline’s international routes.
The state-owned airline operates flights to all the 10 domestic airports across the Maldives, and runs international operations to South Asian neighbours India and Bangladesh, and far Eastern countries such as Thailand and China.
The recent fleet expansion by the Maldives’ flagship carrier is in line with its plans to boost operations to major tourist markets such as Europe, South Africa and neighbouring Sri Lanka.
Maldivian has also recently expanded into seaplane operations. The airline has an all amphibian fleet of 10 DHC-6 Twin Otter aircrafts for its seaplane operations.
Seaplane is the preferred mode of transport between the main Velana International Airport and dozens of resorts, especially those located in the outer atolls.
Photo: Airliners.net