Maldivian increases flights amid holiday season demand

Maldivian, the national airline, has added more than 20 flights to Jeddah and scheduled additional services on other routes to meet rising demand during the school holiday season, particularly from Umrah pilgrims.

Passenger numbers typically increase during school holidays, prompting Maldivian to operate extra flights during the period.

Island Aviation, which operates the airline, said demand for Umrah travel has led to an increase in services to India, with the total number of flights to Cochin and Trivandrum raised to 10.

The airline’s A320 aircraft will also operate four flights each to Bangkok, Thailand, and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Flights to Cochin and Trivandrum have been operating five times a week since 19 December.

In addition to the scheduled services, more than 40 extra flights are planned to Cochin and Trivandrum to cater to peak demand.

Maldivian said demand for both international and domestic travel has increased significantly. Between this month and the end of next month, the airline has scheduled more than 3,700 flights to 17 destinations, with an estimated 197,000 passengers expected to travel during the period.