The national carrier Maldivian has reopened its seaplane terminal after an upgrade that doubles the space available to passengers.
Mohamed Ameen, the minister responsible for civil aviation, opened the terminal at a ceremony on Tuesday. Ibrahim Iyas, managing director of Island Aviation Services, which operates Maldivian, attended along with senior company officials.
The indoor area can now handle 90 passengers at a time, with room for a further 40 in an outdoor section. The old terminal held roughly half that.
What has actually changed?
The terminal has been designed around Maldivian scenery and culture, and the additions include an outdoor area built along environmentally friendly lines, a dedicated children’s play area, and a kiosk selling souvenirs and light refreshments. The number of boarding gates has been increased, and a new canteen has been built for Maldivian staff.
Iyas said the project, which started last year, was an important step towards improving the guest experience and expanding the seaplane operation. He also confirmed that two Twin Otter Classic aircraft ordered recently will enter service next year.
Maldivian currently flies 11 Twin Otters. It started seaplane operations in April 2014 and opened its first seaplane terminal the following year.
Where does this sit commercially?
A seaplane operation lives or dies on turnaround. Guests arriving at Velana on long-haul flights are held at the terminal until a departure slot opens, and the size of the lounge sets a hard ceiling on how many bodies can be processed in the peak hours of a winter morning. Doubling that ceiling is what allows two more aircraft to be worth buying.
Speaking at the ceremony, Minister Ameen said the airline had changed its business model over the past three years and made financial gains as a result. He noted that work on Maldivian’s new head office building is also moving quickly.
The company said separately this week that its seaplane arm has now carried more than 1.2 million passengers.
Who is Maldivian competing with?
Trans Maldivian Airways (TMA) remains the dominant operator by a wide margin, with a fleet several times the size of Maldivian’s. At the other end, Manta Air is understood to be winding down its ATR domestic operations in order to run seaplanes alone, which would turn a weakened competitor on one side of the business into a focused competitor on the other.