Manta Air, one of the three airlines currently operating domestic services in the Maldives, has decided to wind down its domestic operations altogether and continue solely as a seaplane operator, sources familiar with the matter have said.
While Manta Air has not officially confirmed the said decision, reliable sources have confirmed to local news outlet, Adhadhu, that the airline intends to cease flights operated on its ATR aircraft within the next three to six months, and that the decision has already been communicated to its staff.
The airline arrived at the said decision, the same sources said, owing to the absence of any route by which its domestic operations could be expanded profitability. In this regard, they pointed to the high charges levied on Manta Air by the companies which operate the country’s domestic airports — among them Island Aviation, which itself runs the competing carrier Maldivian.
Why did the routes close, one after another?
The airports operated by Island Aviation included B. Dharavandhoo Airport, R. Ifuru Airport and Lh. Madivaru Airport, and all three were destinations served by Manta Air.
Services to those three airports had to be discontinued, it is understood, after Island Aviation declined to reduce the rates it charges for flight operations and ground handling.
Manta Air had, in seeking a way to keep the said routes running, held discussions with Island Aviation. One of the proposals put forward by Manta Air was for the two airlines to operate the routes on a code-share basis. Island Aviation, however, went on to inform Manta Air that this arrangement too was unacceptable.
What is left of the operation?
Manta Air today flies to Dhaalu Airport alone. Its domestic fleet, which consisted of three ATR 72-600 aircraft, has already been reduced to a single machine.
With the withdrawal of domestic services, a considerable number of Manta Air employees — pilots, engineers and ground operations staff among them — will lose their jobs. Since no comment has been forthcoming from the airline, neither the number of employees affected nor what is to become of them is presently known.
A seven-year run
Manta Air commenced operations seven years ago, on February 24, 2019, and over the intervening period has flown both domestic and international services.
The destinations served by the airline included Dh. Kudahuvadhoo, S. Gan and HA. Hoarafushi, besides R. Ifuru, Lh. Madivaru and B. Dharavandhoo. The airline had also operated direct services from Dhaalu Airport to Bengaluru in India.
What does this mean for the domestic network?
Once Manta Air ceases its flights, the airlines operating domestic services will be Maldivian and Villa Air.
Villa Air, however, flies only to AA. Maamigili and Dharavandhoo, which leaves Maldivian as the sole airline serving every remaining airport in the country.
The Key Takeaway
The withdrawal of Manta Air from domestic aviation restores, in practical terms, the position which existed before its entry in 2019 — a single carrier serving the internal network, with a second operator confined to two destinations.
What makes the said withdrawal noteworthy is not the commercial failure of one airline, but the account given of how it came about. On the version put to one local media, namely Adhadhu, a state-owned company which both operates airports and runs a competing airline is said to have declined both a reduction in handling charges and a code-share arrangement, with the consequence that its competitor is leaving the market.
Whether that account is accurate is a matter Island Aviation, Manta Air and the Maldives Civil Aviation Authority are each in a position to address, and none has yet done so.