Announcement for helicopter operators to be announced again

Transport Minister Mohamed Ameen said today that the government's process in seeking out a helicopter operator company was halted, with it to be re-announced soon.

While answering a question from North Galolhu MDP MP Mohamed Ibrahim (Kudoo) during today's Parliament sitting, the minister said that when they had announced the initial search, only one company had submitted a proposal out of the 36 that had expressed interest.

The minister said that was the case due to a large portion of services being free-of-charge for the state in the operation.

"Around 36 world-class companies took an interest and applied. However, as I've stated before, the companies later held discussions with us regarding the limitations in the Request for Proposal (RFP), which included a combination that would benefit the state the most," said Ameen.

The minister went on to say that the company's said the free -aid services to the state were too much, with only one company coming to the table for discussions.

"We hope to re-announce this search before December, with the assurance that we will succeed within a year," said Ameen.

He also said that there are many major companies who have shown interest in conducting helicopter operations in Maldives.