SilkAir, Singapore Airlines' full-service regional airline has begun flights to Maldives.
The Singapore-based airline began its post-pandemic operations to Maldives, with the first flight landing at Malé's Velana International Airport yesterday.
"Look who showed up! SilkAir is back with us today and will be flying twice weekly," read a tweet by Velana International Airport.
The airline will use Boeing 737-800 aircrafts for its Maldives services.
Before the worldwide border closures, Singapore Airlines and SilkAir operated 16 flights a week.
Dr Abdulla Mausoom, Minister of Tourism, thanked Singapore for restarting flights to the Maldives. Dr Mausoom previously served as the High Commissioner of Maldives in Singapore.
"Good to see the vital Singapore-Maldives connection reestablished by SilkAir," he said in a tweet.
Singapore is a major transit hub in the South East Asia for travelers catching connections to the Maldives. On the other hand Singapore is a popular destination for Maldivians traveling for leisure, business education and healthcare.
As of December 2020, Maldives has welcomed over 455,000 tourists and is just some 40,000 tourists away from reaching the tourist arrival goal for the year. Meanwhile, many Asian and European carriers are recommencing or debuting flights into the Maldives.
Many airlines from Russia are also serving the Maldives this season. Since July 15, 2020, Russian tourists have been dominating the Maldives, with 22 percent of the market share.
Just last week, AzurAir resumed flights between Malé and Moscow's Sheremetyevo International Airport, and the debut flight carried over a 500 passengers to the Maldives.
