300 tourists to arrive in Maldives on first post-Covid China flight
Beijing Capital will operate four charters to the Maldives, with three this month and the last on February 1.
After a gap of three years, direct flights from China to the Maldives will resume on Wednesday and around 300 Chinese tourists are expected to arrive on the first flight.
Beijing Capital Airlines will become the first Chinese airline to operate flights to the Maldives since March 2020.
An aviation professional familiar with the matter told Atoll Times on Monday:
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303 bookings have already been made for the flight
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The flight from Beijing is scheduled to land at 12.45pm on Wednesday
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A small ceremony will be held at the airport to welcome the flight
Beijing Capital will operate four charters to the Maldives, with three this month and the last on February 1.
China Eastern will begin scheduled flights on January 28, with flights every Saturday.
China will account for at least 10% of the total tourist arrivals to the Maldives in the coming months, Maldives Travel Agents and Tour Operators Association (MATATO) said last week.
Infections in China have spiked after the country dropped its strict zero-cases policy on Dec 7, allowing the virus to spread.
But Maldives government has said it would not require travellers from China to produce a negative Covid-19 test or take any additional precautionary measures for arrivals from China, bucking a trend that has seen a number of nations implement such measures as cases surge in China.
