A total of 2,610 private jets landed in the Maldives this year, an increase of 53 percent compared to 2019, the Maldives Airports Company Limited (MACL) said.
MACL's General Manager Hassan Areef said 1,702 private jets arrived in the Maldives in 2019 compared to 2,610 jets that arrived in the Maldives by the end of November this year. Areef said this is a huge step forward for the Maldives.
Speaking after a ceremony to welcome the 1.6 millionth tourist to visit the Maldives this year, Areef said air traffic movement stood at 27,000 as of November this year. He said this is an increase of 10 percent compared to air traffic movement in 2019, which was at 24,000.
"If you look at the number of passengers, arrivals are almost at a 98 percent recovery compared to 2019. This figure is for the period from January to November. This means the numbers will very much exceed [2019 figures] by the end of the year," Areef said.
Areef noted that eight airlines had resumed flights that were suspended due to the COVID-19 outbreak. He said British Airways would change its current seasonal flights next year and fly year-round.
Areef further said the Maldives achieving its target of 1.6 million tourists this year despite the closure of the Chinese border and the ongoing war between Ukraine and Russia was a huge success for the tourism-dependent archipelago.
