Qatar Airways celebrates 20 years of flying to the Maldives and a special celebratory event was held at Velana International Airport (VIA) to commemorate the milestone.
The internationally lauded airline hailing from Qatar first commenced its direct flight operations to the Maldives in 2001.
To commemorate the 20th anniversary of Qatar Airways’ operations to the island nation, the first flight of the airline landing at VIA on Sunday, 19th December was welcomed with a water salute and a traditional drum-fare (Boduberu) event.
Moreover, the celebrations were held by Maldives Airports Company Limited (MACL) in collaboration with the airline.
Furthermore, Maldives Minister of Tourism Dr. Abdulla Mausoom and the acting in-charge of MACL Mr. Ibrahim Thoha were present at the welcoming event.
“Congratulations and best wishes to Qatar Airways on their 20th anniversary of flying to the Maldives. From the commencement of its flights to the Maldives, Qatar Airways has played a very important role in bridging the world to the Maldives,” commented Dr. Abdulla Mausoom regarding the airline’s accomplishment.
“We convey special appreciation to Qatar Airways for being the first airline to resume flights upon the Maldives reopening its borders on 15th July 2020. We hope that Qatar Airways will continue its ever-engaging contributions and be a strong partner in Maldives tourism development and promotion,” Dr. Mausoom added.
Meanwhile, the acting in-charge of MACL Mr. Thoha had commented referring to the impact the airline has created on the Maldives tourism industry, stating “with its steady performance, Qatar Airways become a major partner with an increasing number of flights and passengers.”
“We have seen the dedication and the drive of Qatar Airways in the most vulnerable times of the Covid19 pandemic. Qatar Airways was the very first airline to start its service after our border reopened and I want to thank the airline for the huge impact it created on our tourism,” Mr. Thoha added.
Furthermore, Qatar Airways resumed its operations to Maldives with 21 flights per week following the border reopening in 2020.
Meanwhile, with steady and strong demand for the Maldives the airline has increased its flights to 28 per week carrying over 1,000 per day and over 36,000 per month.