SriLankan Airlines Thursday officially commenced operations to the southernmost Atoll Addu to become the only international carrier to the archipelago's south.
The first flight from Colombo landed in Gan International Airport at 8.10am on Wednesday marked by a special ceremony.
An hour later, the flight departed to Colombo carrying over 130 passengers.
Deputy tourism minister Hussein Lareer told Avas that the operations would provide a major boost to the region's economy.
Neighbouring Sri Lanka's flag carrier has commenced operations after a major revamp of the Gan airport.
The project worth an estimated USD45 million which began two years ago.
- Runway length increased by 3,400 meters
- Runway width increased by 60 meters
- Airport could only cater to Boeing 757 earlier
- Boeing 777 can now land at the airport
SriLankan Airlines has announced the launching of 11 new destinations focusing on the Asia-Middle East region.
