The Maldives' transport minister, Mohamed Ameen, says state-owned Maldivian (Q2, Malé) is due to receive its first widebody aircraft in early January. He told the state broadcaster PSM that the aircraft, A330-200 9H-PAX (msn 1161), was in a paint shop at Singapore Changi and due to ferry to Malé on January 7, 2025.
The two-cabin-class, 264-passenger plane will begin scheduled services on January 17, he added. Neither Maldivian nor the government has announced where those flights will be to, and ch-aviation schedules data for the period does not yet show any new routes. However, as reported by ch-aviation, Ameen said one month ago that three Chinese cities - Beijing, Shanghai, and Chengdu - three European cities, and Johannesburg O.R. Tambo are on the initial shortlist.
The arrival of the A330 and Maldivian's expansion aligns with the government's strategy to improve connectivity in and out of the Maldives and attract a broader range of tourists than the overwater bungalow demographic.
The 14.24 year old 9H-PAX originally operated for KLM Royal Dutch Airlines before flying for ACMI/charter specialist Airhub Airlines. Maldivian is taking the aircraft on lease from TrueNoord.
Meanwhile, state-owned Maldives Airports Company Limited (MACL) told the country's state-owned enterprises parliamentary sub-committee last month that Island Aviation Services, trading as Maldivian, was the airport operator's biggest debtor. The airline reportedly owes as much as MVR1.1 billion rufiyaas (USD72.6 million).
MACL Managing Director Ibrahim Shareef Mohamed told the sub-committee that providing credit to government-owned companies poses financial challenges for the airport operator. The airline provides subsidised and/or free fuel, parking, ground handling, and ground power unit services to Maldivian. He said the amount of debt accrued by the airline and other state-owned entities put MACL under financial pressure, forcing it to rely on external funding.
