Spain's national airline, Iberia has commenced scheduled flights to the Maldives.
A special ceremony was held at Maldives' main international airport, Velana International Airport (VIA) to mark the occasion. A large number of tourists arrived on the airline's maiden flight which arrived at VIA on Saturday afternoon.
Spain is one of the markets from which a large number of tourists visited the Maldives during the pre-pandemic period. However, the number of tourist arrivals dropped significantly amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The commencement of flights between Spain and Maldives is expected to open the market to tourists and increase the number of travelers.
Iberia Airline had earlier said its flights will fly to the Maldives this summer from July through August. Two weekly flights will operate to the Maldives.
According to statistics released by the Tourism Ministry, 18 airlines currently operate to the Maldives. 7,802 flight movements have been recorded thus far this year.
Photo: MACL
