The national carrier of Maldives confirmed acquiring two new ATR 72-600s and one ATR 42-600 series turboprop aircraft in January 2022.
From the total acquisition, two of the ATR 72-600s are scheduled to arrive at Velana International Airport (VIA) sometime on Wednesday, 04th January from Toulouse.
The three aircraft were initially set to join the Maldivian Airlines fleet earlier in October 2022. However, manufacturing mishaps delayed the process. Total acquisition cost of the three aircraft is reportedly USD60 million (MVR925 million).
Meanwhile, the Managing Director of Maldivian Mohamed Mihad said the airline expects to add three more by the end of 2023, bringing the ATR fleet up to 6.
Maldivian has temporarily leased an ATR 72-500 operated by Swiftair to meet the high operational demand amid tourism peak.