Maldives may welcome fewer than the anticipated number of flights when the country reopens the borders on July, Transport Ministry said.
“Since situation has affected worldwide, the number of airlines that actually begin operating flights to the Maldives will depend on the rate at which other countries reopen their borders,” an official from the Ministry said speaking at the parliamentary committee.
“We are hoping to have a better grasp of the timeline for air traffic in the next two to three weeks,” he added.
Maldives ceased on arrival visa to all tourists from 27th March 2020 as a precautionary measure to curb the spreading of COVID-19 outbreak in the country. The tourism industry came to a halt with the travel ban imposed by the government.
The draft of the safe tourism guidelines suggested that the initial opening of borders will be through private jets and charters instead of scheduled passenger flights at first.
The Ministry is also exploring the possibility of private jet landings at more regional airports in the country.
