VIA operations extremely busy today

Velana International Airport (VIA)'s flight information system indicates that over 50 domestic flights are scheduled to arrive at the airport today.

With such a high number of scheduled flights, the airport's domestic flight operation has become extremely busy.

In addition to the regular flight schedule, a number of charter flights were operated yesterday and are continuing today. Many of these trips are intended to transport supporters for the major rally being held tonight by the ruling party, the Progressive National Congress (PNC).

The schedule shows that 50 flights are scheduled from 1:00 am last night until 11:30 pm tonight. These flights are operated by Maldivian, Manta Air, and Villa Air.

The domestic airline network generally experiences high traffic during peak holiday seasons, with over 50 flights operated daily in the past. Typically, normal daily operations consist of 20 to 30 flights.

Over the past few days, an increased number of flights were scheduled to facilitate transportation for attendees of the PNC rally, with the national airline Maldivian deploying its largest aircraft, the A330-200, to Gan (Addu) for the first time to transport rally participants. There has been a significant influx of PNC supporters arriving in Malé for a major rally scheduled tonight at the Artificial Beach, with arrivals still continuing.

PNC Chairperson and Speaker of the Parliament, Abdul Raheem Abdulla, previously stated that the rally will clearly demonstrate the political inclination of the Maldives and which leader the Maldivian people stand behind.