Minister of Tourism and Civil Aviation Mohamed Ameen has stated that there are significant challenges to lowering the fares of domestic flights in the Maldives.

Responding to a question regarding the reduction of domestic airfares posed by the MDP Member of Parliament for the Kendhoo constituency, Mauroof Zakir, during today's sitting of the People's Majlis, the minister noted that current ticket prices are already structurally low compared to actual operational costs.

The minister explained that the aircraft utilized for domestic aviation in the Maldives are among the safest and highest-quality models used worldwide for such travel. However, he emphasized that maintaining and operating these fleets is exceptionally expensive.

Despite these high overheads, Minister Ameen highlighted that the government has successfully refrained from raising ticket fares, even as global fuel prices surged due to the conflict in the Middle East. He pointed out that while airlines across the world hiked their ticket fares by approximately 30 to 40 percent due to rising oil costs, the Maldivian government, following strategic decisions by the President, managed expenses through alternative means to protect citizens from the price increases.