The national airline, Maldivian Aero, has announced plans to launch direct flights to South Africa and Germany later this year as part of its ongoing international expansion.

Speaking about the airline’s expansion, Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation, Mohamed Ameen highlighted the strategic importance of a direct route between Malé and Johannesburg. He noted that South Africa is a key tourism market, and a direct flight would significantly reduce travel time from 24 hours to just 8 hours.

An Airbus A330-200 wide-body aircraft with a capacity of 264 passengers was introduced by Maldivian in January. The aircraft is currently operating flights to three major cities in China: Beijing, Shanghai, and Chengdu. The airline is also working to acquire another wide-body aircraft later this year as part of its plans to expand services to more European destinations.