President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu has announced that the second wide-body aircraft will be brought in and start operations by October of this year.

Speaking at the inauguration ceremony of Maldivian's wide-body aircraft, Airbus A330-200, held at Velana International Airport (VIA) this evening, the President said that after the work of the Finance Ministry, Island Aviation, and the Transport Ministry, the second aircraft will be ready to fly in October.

"God willing, although the first aircraft arrived today, the second aircraft will start flying within October of this year. I assure you of that," he said.

The President said that he had promised to bring two wide-body aircraft to Island Aviation to expand operations, and this first aircraft is a special joy for Maldivians.

"For that, I congratulate all the beloved citizens of the Maldives. This will, God willing, bring a very big advancement to our tourism industry, especially in the coming months. This is a beginning," he said.

The government is assisting Maldivian in bringing two wide-body aircraft to start flights to additional international destinations. The Cabinet decided in a meeting held in December 2023 to arrange the necessary funds through the Finance Ministry for Island Aviation Services Limited, which operates Maldivian.

Subsequently, in late December 2023, Maldivian announced a tender to lease an Airbus A330-200 aircraft. This is an aircraft that can be configured with 406 seats and has the capability to travel 7,250 nautical miles. The decision was made to lease the aircraft for a period of five years.

Direct flights with the wide-body aircraft have been decided to operate from the Maldives to Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu, and Xi'an in China. The President also announced today that flights to other destinations will also begin soon.