Author: Mohamed Reehaan
Tata SIA Airlines Limited operating as Vistara, the Indian full-service airline is readying to launch direct flights between Male’ and India’s capital New Delhi. Vistara in a press statement confirmed its preparations apace to launch scheduled flights between Male’ and New Delhi beginning from October. The airline first began its flight operations to the Maldives on March 3, 2021 and continued to operate scheduled flights between Male’ and Mumbai. Vistara said it was expanding its Indian destinations in light of growing demand for the Maldives among Indian travelers. Vistara CEO Vinod Kannan expressed his delight and while speaking about the…
Draws to award the remaining 145 Hiyaa housing flats commenced last Monday, August 21 at Urbanco. The units were not eligible for allocation under the civil servant category for applicants who scored below 50 points along with other contributing factors. Urbanco reported the units will be allocated based on the Ministry of National Planning, Housing and Infrastructure-issued reserve list. Draws for all 145-units were taken at Urbanco. Former Maldives President Abdulla Yameen’s administration decided to withhold flat allocations for applicants under the civil service category who scored below 50 points, but the current Ibrahim Mohamed Solih-led government took the decision…
Maldives government on Thursday, August 24, announced its decision to grant license to SpaceX’s Starlink high-speed internet services in the island nation. The Tesla, SpaceX and now Twitter honcho Elon Musk founded Starlink in a bid to provide high-speed internet across the globe at affordable rates. Ministry of Environment, Climate Change and Technology has already extended invitations to local media on Thursday morning for the special ceremony scheduled for Thursday afternoon to grant the ISP license to Starlink; the details expected soon. While the Maldives earlier was set to gain access to SpaceX’s Starlink in February 2021, the plan hit…
Ministry of Tourism is seeking interested contractors to develop tourist resorts in Haa Alifu atoll Medhufushi and Shaviyani atoll Nalandhoo. The ministry has opened bidding until September 21, and announced information on the projects can be obtained before 13:00hrs on September 17. Interested bidders can mail to [email protected] for inquiries. The financial capacity for developers interested in Medhufushi should exceed USD 2 million and for Nalandhoo, their financial capacity should exceed USD 10 million. Contractors should develop a minimum of 120 villas in Medhufushi which span 12 hectares and a minimum of 200 villas in Nalandhoo which spans 63 hectares.
Dusit International launches new group-wide sustainability program, “Tree of Life” and Dusit Thani Maldives achieves Google Eco-Certification in recognition of sustainable tourism endeavors. The new program solidifies Dusit’s sustainability intentions and includes “actionable and easy-to-follow” steps that its business units can take to benefit the environment, people, and the broader communities. The “Tree of Life” program of Dusit International has 31 criteria aligned with selected United Nations’ Global Sustainable Development Goals and industry-specific targets set over four levels of achievement. The Google Eco-Certification is a testament to Dusit Thani Maldives’ unwavering dedication to promoting eco-conscious hospitality and minimizing the property’s…
Hanimaadhoo International Airport project’s progress reaches 50%, and anticipates launch of new runway in September 2023. The project includes development of a 2.7-kilometer runway, a terminal with the capacity of 1.3 million passengers, provisions for jet fuel storage. The project is also considered one of the largest development projects in northern Maldives, carried out by the current government. Regional Airports Company Limited (RACL) said some aspects of the project are progressing faster than the projected timeline. India’s JMC Projects was awarded the project in September 022, and has completed the project halfway within 11 months. Approximately 60% of the runway…
State Trading Organization (STO) has signed with Hulhumale’ Hospital to develop a central sterile service department (CCSD) in the hospital. Under the agreement, STO will partner with Spanish-based Matachana, a world leader in manufacturing steam sterilization equipment, to draw the hospital department’s setup, complete the interior, procure equipment, installation and staff training. The central sterile service department is necessary in hospitals where medical and surgical equipment including gauze, cotton, dressing content are sterilized to kill off bacteria or germs. STO signed with Hulhumale’ Hospital to develop the department with the growing demand for the hospital. With residential population in Hulhumale’…
Two Indians, one from Tamil Nadu another from Kerala, have been stranded on a cargo ship in the outer anchorage of Maldives for the last 13 months, Times Of India (TOI) reported. Meanwhile, it was reported that their repeated requests to the company concerned to allow them to leave ship since it remains idle. Moreover, the two say they have not been paid any salary since joining. The two Indians are stranded on MV Puravalan 1 that is reportedly some three nautical miles outside Maldives Port. They said the ship was scheduled to sail for Tuticorin when they joined duty…
BEOND, the world’s first ultra-luxury leisure airline with its primary hub based in the Maldives, is targeting affluent travelers from Hong Kong and hopes to fly the destination in 2024. The airline is expected to commence its flight operations in Autumn 2023. Earlier on August 14, BEOND announced that it received the Continuing Airworthiness Management Organization (CAMO) approval from the Maldives Civil Aviation Authority (MCAA), which it viewed as a step forward in grabbing its Air Operations Certificate in the Maldives. The carrier led by Tero Taskila as Chief Executive Officer and Max Nilov as Chief Strategy Officer is all…
Maldives remitted USD 29.3 million to Sri Lanka in Q1-2023, the Sri Lankan central bank reported. Sri Lanka’s “Economy Next” reports Maldives has the “soundest money in South Asia”, and reported that the country is listed among the top 10 countries with remittance to Lanka. Maldives was ranked 9th for the highest remitted figure to Lanka in the review quarter. A large portion of the Maldivian tourism industry workforce is comprised of Sri Lankan expatriates, through whom US Dollars is remitted. In 2022, Maldives remitted a whopping total of USD 557 million to Sri Lanka, a 12% increment from 2021…