Maldivian: High demand for direct flights launched to Australia in May

The national airline, Maldivian, on Tuesday, revealed there is a high demand for the direct flights introduced last May between the Maldives and Melbourne, Australia.

Responding to inquiries from Sun, Maldivian stated that the flights are experiencing high demand, particularly from tourists rather than local travelers. The airline further noted that approximately 50 percent of the available seats on the weekly Sunday service have already been booked.

However, Maldivian has not yet disclosed the exact number of passengers carried on this route to date.

With Australia currently ranked as the ninth-largest source market for tourism to the Maldives, these weekly flights are expected to further strengthen visitor arrivals. According to statistics released by the Ministry of Tourism, the number of visitors from Australia has shown a notable increase since the launch of these operations.

As of June 6, a total of 20,878 Australian tourists have visited the Maldives this year. This represents a significant increase of 16 percent compared to the 17,957 arrivals recorded during the corresponding period last year.

Maldivian estimates that these direct flights will bring an additional 11,000 Australian tourists to the Maldives each year. The airline described the expansion as a major contribution to the national economy and an important step toward diversifying the tourism sector. Furthermore, Maldivian considers this initiative a strategic effort to expand the national carrier's market share by targeting emerging and high-growth markets.