The Governments of Maldives and India have agreed to establish an Air Bubble between the countries. This is the first Air Bubble established in South Asia.
The decision was confirmed during a Digital Video Conference held Thursday between the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Maldives, Abdulla Shahid and India’s Minister of External Affairs of India, Dr. Subrahmanyam Jaishankar.
With this announcement, regular scheduled flights will commence between the two countries, enabling the further strengthening of the traditionally strong people-to-people contact. Relevant public health related requirements against COVID-19 will continue to be observed by both countries.
During the conference, Minister Shahid thanked the Indian Government for including the Maldives among the first countries with which India has established an Air Bubble. He emphasised the importance of easing travel, especially for Maldivians seeking to visit India for urgently required medical treatment, as well as Indian tourists wishing to visit the Maldives.
The Indian market is significant to Maldives tourism. While over 160,000 tourists from India visited the Maldives last year, it was an increase of 83 percent compared to the previous year.
