Dubai-Gan flights will boost tourism in Maldives south: Firaq
Flydubai has announced plans to a launch a new daily service to Gan International Airport in the southernmost Addu atoll of Maldives from 4 February 2023.
By
Ahmed Mizyal
Direct flights from Dubai to Addu will bring a major boost to tourism in the four southern atolls of Maldives, Managing Director of Inner Maldives which serves as the local agent of Flydubai Mohamed Firaq said Thursday.
Dubai-based low-cost airline Flydubai on Wednesday announced plans to a launch a new daily service to Gan International Airport in the southernmost Addu atoll of Maldives from 4 February 2023.
Flights will operate daily from Terminal 3, Dubai International (DXB) to Gan International Airport (GAN). Emirates will codeshare on this route, providing passengers with more options for connections through Dubai’s international aviation hub.
Firaq told Atoll Times that the flights will bring a lot of progress to the tourism industry in the four southern atolls. He said:
-
A Boeing 737 Max 800 aircraft will be used for flights
-
The aircraft has a capacity of 165
"There will always be about 1,200 tourists arriving on the route per week to Addu, Fuvahmulah and Huvadhoo," he said.
Firaq said that 500 rooms will be booked with these flights, but that he does not believe that there will be a shortage of rooms in Addu.
"Tourists from liveaboard vessels will also visit Fuvahmulah and Huvadhoo. There will also be people who go abroad for holiday trips and those who travel for business," he said.
Tourist facilities in four southern atolls:
-
Gaafu Alifu Atoll - Six resorts, 11 guesthouses and one hotel
-
Gaafu Dhaalu Atoll - Three resorts and seven guesthouses
-
Fuvahmulah - 19 guesthouses
-
Addu - Three resorts, 20 guesthouses and one hotel
Firaq said Flydubai is handles majority of air traffic in the Middle East, operating to 99 destinations around the world.
"This is a rich airline. Flydubai has done a lot of research and will not start flights to a new destination without collecting information," he said.
"So this is a very bright and successful start."
In terms of domestic connectivity in the southern atolls, ferry services are operated between Addu and Fuvahmulah. Maldives' national carrier Maldivian also transits to Huvadhu on flights between Addu and Male.
Firaq said he hoped domestic connectivity would improve in the southern atolls by the time the flights were launched.
Meanwhile, the project to develop Gan International Airport in Addu city to cater to 1.5 million passengers annually was awarded last week.
Gan airport project:
-
New control tower to be built
-
New fire station to be built
-
Cargo resources to be developed with cold storage for airport
-
Airport roads and parking area to be developed
