Royal Jordanian has announced plans to operate scheduled charter service to the Maldives late 2019.
From September 27 to October 16, the flagship carrier of Jordan will offer a weekly non-stop service between Queen Alia International Airport in Amman and Velana International Airport in Male. A Boeing 787-8 jet will operate this route.
Founded in 1963, Royal Jordanian has become the second-largest carrier in the Levant. With a fleet of 43 aircraft including seven Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner jets, the airline operates over 500 flights per week, with at least 110 daily departures. Along with codeshare destinations, the airline reaches 43 destinations around the world.
Despite lacklustre growth, Middle East remains one of the major emerging source markets for the Maldives tourism industry. Official figures show that 52,114 tourists visited the Maldives from Middle Eastern countries last year, a 5.9 per cent decrease over the 49,193 the year before.
Maldives has ramped up tourism promotion in Middle East. Stakeholders of the tourism industry, including government and non-governmental organisations, have held exclusive events in Saudi Arabia and other key Arab source markets.