Soneva Holdings, a Maldivian luxury resort operator, has dry-leased its first DHC-6-300 seaplane to ferry passengers from Malé to its island hotels. It will be operated by Manta Air (NR, Malé).
VH-FIW (msn 516) is currently undergoing maintenance at Cairns in Australia. The aircraft is owned by Montrose Global, which said that it would soon ferry to the Maldives to undergo VIP cabin installation prior to entry into service. The 45.5-year-old turboprop was last operated by Dimonim Air (Jakarta Soekarno-Hatta).
In 2018, Soneva Holdings sourced its first DHC-6-200, 8Q-RAL (msn 45), also on lease from Montrose Global. The Viking Air aircraft had been operated on its behalf by Trans Maldivian Airways but has since been transferred to Manta Air.
Manta Air's fleet comprises three ATR72-600s, two DHC-6-200s, and nine (soon ten) DHC-6-300s.
