The premium luxury airline “Beond”, founded by SIMDI Group and United Arab Emirates’ (UAE) Arabesque, officially launched.
The airline’s maiden flight landed at Velana International Airport (VIA) on Monday, October 9. The flight’s arrival was marked with a water salute bestowed by Maldives Airports Company Limited (MACL), VIA’s operator.
Beond, the leisure luxury airline, operates a fleet of airplanes equipped with fully reconfigured 44-business class seats.
Beond CEO, Tero Taskila said commercial flights of the airline scheduled for November 2023 will begin from Zurich, Munich, and Riyadh.
The airline’s next batch of destinations include Milan, Bangkok following which Chinese routes including Beijing and Shanghai will be added.
Fares for Beond’s Middle-East routes start at USD 2,000 while its European routes start 3,800 Euros.
Beond CEO further said that special fares for Maldivians have not been set right now, but said a special promotion targeting the local market will begin after commencing commercial operations.
SIMDI Group Managing Director Mishal Ibrahim Mohamed Didi said the airline has significantly increased the opportunities of employment especially for Maldivians. The airline aims to have Maldivians making up 50% of its workforce.
The CEO of SIMDI Group Dr. Mariyam Shakeela assured employment opportunities for nearly 1,500 Maldivians.
“We will observe an economic boost because of the airline. Opportunities will be enhanced for Maldivians, with an estimation of 1,500 jobs created for them,” she said.