An Air Arabia Airbus A320 was welcomed in the Maldives with a water canon salute in glorious sunshine to mark the start of a new daily service to the islands.
The first Air Arabia flight to the Maldives took off from Sharjah International Airport (SHJ) in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on October 27, 2024, before arriving around four hours later at Velana International Airport (MLE) in Malé.
Dual celebrations were held at both Sharjah and Malé airports, attended by senior representatives from Air Arabia and the respective airport authorities.
“The inaugural flight to the Maldives represents an exciting new chapter in our network expansion. We are excited to offer our customers direct access to this tropical paradise. With the addition of this new route, we reaffirm our commitment to provide affordable and value-driven air travel while offering more options to explore new destinations around the world,” said Adel Al Ali, Group CEO of Air Arabia.
Flight G9091 will operate daily from SHJ at 08:00 local time and is scheduled to arrive at 13:20. The return leg leaves the Maldives at 14:20 and arrives back in the UAE at 17:55.
Touching down in the breathtaking paradise of the Maldives! 🇲🇻
— Air Arabia (@airarabiagroup) October 27, 2024
Today, we are pleased to announce the launch of our inaugural flight to this iconic destination. This expansion of our global network will offer our passengers more opportunities to explore new destinations around the… pic.twitter.com/sYnYA6pGbl
“As we welcome Air Arabia’s inaugural flight, we are excited about the opportunities this partnership presents for Velana International Airport. The direct connection to Sharjah will boost arrivals from the Middle Eastern market and broaden connections to numerous cities worldwide, strengthening VIA’s position in regional and global aviation with each new route,” said Ibrahim Shareef Mohamed, CEO and Managing Director of Maldives Airports Company Limited.
According to Air Arabia the carrier is the Middle East and North Africa’s largest low-cost carrier operator with a fleet of 77 Airbus A320 and A321 aircraft.
Founded in 2023, Air Arabia was established by an Amiri decree issued by Sultan bin Muhammad Al-Qasimi, the ruler of Sharjah.