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Aeroflot to resume flights between Russia, Maldives on September 10

Mariyam Malsa
08 September 2020, MVT 13:17
Russia's national carrier and largest airline, Aeroflot will hold regular flights between Maldives and Russia. PHOTO: AEROFLOT
Mariyam Malsa
08 September 2020, MVT 13:17

Russia's national carrier and largest airline, Aeroflot, is scheduled to recommence flights between Maldives and Russa on September 10.

As per a statement released by Aeroflot, the airline will operate regular flights between Moscow's Sheremetyevo Airport and Velana International Airport (VIA) on Thursdays and Saturdays, while return flights will be held on Thursdays and Sundays.

Noting that timings are subject to change in response to the airline's international flight schedule, Aeroflot further revealed that the aforementioned flight schedule was temporary.

On September 3, Russia's Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin signed a directive approving regular transfers to Maldives, as well as Egypt and the United Arab Emirates.

Following the Maldivian government's decision to reopen borders to international passengers on July 15, Russia consistently ranked on the top ten list of countries which accounted for the highest number of tourist arrivals.

As per Maldives Immigration, 423 Russian tourists arrived in the country during August, representing the fifth highest number. In July, Russia ranked eighth with 58 Russian holidaymakers travelling to Maldives.

Despite the lifting of restrictions, Maldives has noted a significant reduction in tourist arrivals compared to pre-COVID figures, with arrivals for July 2020 representing only 1.3 percent of those recorded in 2019.

As per Maldives Immigration, only 9,329 tourists arrivals were recorded between July 15 and August 31.

However, Minister of Tourism Dr Abdulla Mausoom has stated that the government is expecting an additional 100,000 tourist arrivals before year end.

Although Maldives reopened borders with extremely lenient guidelines, the government recently announced that, in a move to strengthen safety measures, tourists will be mandated to present a negative PCR certificate upon arrival from September 10 onwards.

As with numerous countries around the world, in the wake of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Maldives closed its air and sea borders to tourist arrivals on March 27, halting the issuance of on-arrival visas until July 15.

The restrictions on international travel left Maldives' heavily tourism reliant economy in an extremely vulnerable state. In mid-April, the World Bank projected that Maldives would be the worst-hit economy in the South Asian region due to the pandemic.

Overall, the Maldivian government estimates a shortfall of approximately USD 450 million (MVR 6.9 billion) in foreign currency and a state deficit of MVR 13 billion in 2020 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic's impact on the tourism industry.

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