Manta Air welcomes first seaplane

Local airline Manta Air welcomed the arrival of its first seaplane on Wednesday.

The DHC-6 Twin Otter is the first of ten seaplanes Manta Air is adding to its feet as the airline prepares to launch seaplane operations. Manta Air plans to start the first seaplane flights in November.

According to officials of the airline, seaplane operations will set a new benchmark for the seaplane service standards in Maldives following the high standards already set by Manta's domestic ATR operations.

Edward, COO of Manta Air, remarked, “At Manta Air, we strive to provide the best service to our customers. We believe there is a need to invest in the latest technology and not rely on the obsolete legacy navigation systems to make our service as customer centric as possible. This is why we invested into G950 and the latest aviation softwares. This upgrade removes 100s feet of cable from the cockpit and makes the aircraft lighter, reduces maintenance costs and provides our crews with enhanced capabilities to increase the dispatch reliability of our service”.

Manta Air declared that it took pride in setting new standards in service excellence along the way with pre-published schedules and a tailored approach to provide amazing experience to all their passengers.

“Our aim from day one has always been to make a significant difference in how our customers experience air travel in Maldives. We will be starting with fixed schedule, advanced booking capabilities and for the first time in Maldives, we will make the seaplane service reliable to all our passengers which will operate on a fixed schedule dedicated to on time performance. And we want to keep pushing these boundaries and to keep improving our service. Our customers will have guaranteed seats the moment the booking is confirmed with exact flight timings, thus removing all uncertainties for passengers travelling to their destinations on seaplanes", said Ahmed Maumoon, the CMO of Manta Air.

Manta Air currently has three ATR72-600 turboprops in their fleet with flights operational to Dhaalu Airport and Dharavandhoo Airport. The airline first established operations at the end of February 2019, with flights headed to Kudahuvadhoo, Dhaalu Atoll. Dharavandhoo marked the second destination of Manta Air's flights, following positive customer reviews.

Speaking about the event, CMO Maumoon said that the overwhelming support of the public is one of the driving forces for the airline.

"And we would like to assure everyone that we would keep on expanding our services so that everyone can enjoy their tropical way to fly".