The national airline, Maldivian, has planned an air show on Monday to welcome its new wide-body aircraft.

The air show will be held from 5:00 pm to 5:30 pm on Monday at Hulhumale' Phase 1 Beach Area, Hulhumale' Phase 2 Beach Area and Male' Usfasgandu Area.

Maldivian said the new aircraft is an Airbus A330.

The Airbus A330 is valued at USD 238.5 million. According to the International Bureau of Aviation (IBA), a monthly rental of such an aircraft costs more than USD 250,000.

This means a five-year lease at that rate would cost USD 15 million (MVR 231 million)

The aircraft has a maximum seating capacity of 406 and is capable of flying 7,250 nautical miles.

Maldivian made an announcement in December 2023, seeking to rent a wide-body aircraft for five years.

Maldivian has been operating two Airbus-321 and Airbus-320 aircraft on its international flights. The Airbus A321 has been removed from the fleet due to high maintenance costs.