Indian Airline 'GoAir' has commenced operations to the Maldives.
The inaugural flight, an A320 with 80 passengers from Mumbai to capital Male', landed in Velana International Airport (VIA) on Sunday.
The crew and passengers were given a warm welcome and gifted some cultural items.
At the special ceremony held at VIA, the Civil Aviation Authority's Chief Executive Officer Hussain Jajeel said that the number of tourists arriving from India has increased. He noted that compared to the past two years, there has been an increase of 24 percent.
GoAir's local agent in Maldives is Voyages Maldives.
Jaleel expressed hopes that with the start of flights by GoAir, the number of tourists will continue to increase in the future.
The Indian Ambassador to Maldives Akhilesh Mishra spoke at the ceremony as well. He declared that the commencement of GoAir operations to Maldives is a great achievement for both countries.
Mishra stated that this would not only strengthen business relations but would aid in maintaining relationships with friends and family residing in Maldives and India.
GoAir launched domestic operations in November 2005 and was authorised to operate international flights to nine other countries in August 2016.