Maldives main airport has welcomed 83 private jets over the past five days, as celebrities and travellers from around the world flock to the island nation for the Christmas and New Year celebrations.
Hassan Areef, the General Manager for Corporate Communications at Maldives Airports Company Limited (MACL), told local media that 83 private jets landed at the main Velana International Airport from December 25-31. The airport welcomed 55 private jets in the same period of last year, he added.
“We’re witnessing more traffic every day. We are doing everything we can to ensure that passengers don’t have to take any extra burden due to the increased traffic,” Areef said.
Meanwhile, the airport witnessed a record number of flight movements on December 23.
MACL said a total of 729 air traffic movements, including 110 international flights and 102 domestic flights, was recorded on December 23. This broke the previous record of 644 air traffic movements per day, it added.
According to the state airport operator, 17,723 international passengers and 4,269 domestic passengers travelled via the airport on Monday. Seaplanes catered for an additional 5,500 passengers on the same day, the company said.
December to April is considered the peak tourist season, as these months constitute summers in Maldives. Between December and April, the islands boast of dry weather, making it ideal for tourists to travel and enjoy the tropical environment.
Resorts across the archipelago organise special activities for the festive season, which falls during the peak tourist season.
Several celebrity travellers are in Maldives to ring in the new year. Some of the big names gracing the shores of Maldives include reality TV star Kate Wright and her fiancé ex-footballer Rio Ferdinand, and sports stars such as Gareth Southgate and Kylian Mbappé.