No Maldivian pilot in service for military aircraft, ministry says
According to the ministry’s statement, four MNDF personnel had previously undergone training to fly Dornier aircraft.
No Maldivian pilot is active in service in the Maldivian National Defence Force (MNDF) who can fly a military aircraft, defence ministry said Tuesday.
Journalist Nazim Hassan recently requested information from the ministry, questioning why Indian pilots—who were trained to fly military aircraft gifted to the Maldives—were not permitted to operate these vehicles. However, instead of providing a straightforward response, the ministry initially appealed to the High Court to withhold this information.
On instructions from the president, the ministry eventually withdrew the case from the court. Following this, the ministry released details about the Maldivian pilots who were trained to fly the Dornier aircraft—a model donated by India—but noted that none of them are currently active in that capacity.
According to the ministry’s statement, four MNDF personnel had previously undergone training to fly Dornier aircraft. However, only two remain in the service, and their flying qualifications have expired:
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First officer: Left the MNDF in August 2022.
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Second officer: Resigned in August 2023.
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Third officer: Still in MNDF, but his rating expired in March 2018.
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Fourth officer: Also in MNDF, but his rating expired in March 2022.
This leaves the MNDF without any trained and rated military pilots for the Dornier or any other military aircraft in its fleet.
The ministry clarified that no MNDF officer is currently undergoing military aviation training in India. However, some personnel are receiving pilot training in other countries, though it remains unclear whether this training will cover military aviation or focus solely on commercial pilot skills.
