Batik Air, Malaysia’s third largest airline, has begun flying to the Maldives.
The airline’s first flight arrived in the Maldives with 87 passengers on Friday night.
While the airline has commenced flights between Sri Lanka and Maldives, direct flights between Malaysia and the Maldives will begin in late June.
The airline plans to conduct daily return flights to Maldives-Sri Lanka and Maldives-Malaysia. The airline will carry passengers on Boeing 737 planes with a capacity of 180 passengers.
Batik Air flies to 53 destinations of 17 countries.
Maldives Airports Company Limited (MACL), which operates the Velana international airport, said new airlines will boost the country’s tourism industry.
Saudi Arabia’s Flynas and billionaire Richard Branson’s Virgin Atlantic flights are also scheduled to begin to Maldives this year, MACL said.
The government is aiming to reach a record target of 1.8 million tourist arrivals this year. According to statistics, 688,284 tourist arrivals were posted earlier in May.
