Azur Air has begun flight operations to the Maldives on 28th November, just in time for the festive holiday season. 

The Russian leisure airline’s first post-lockdown flight landed at Velana International Airport on Saturday afternoon, bringing in over 500 tourists, which is promising for the future as this paves the way for more tourist arrivals.

The airline will fly thrice a week between Velana International Airport and Vnukovo International Airport, with flights operating on Sundays, Wednesdays and Saturdays. 

With an all-Boeing fleet of 29 aircraft, including 11 Boeing 767-300ER jets and 4 Boeing 777-300ER planes, Azur Air operates seasonal charters to several countries and also flies to several domestic destinations in Russia.

Before the closing of borders in March, Azur Air operated chartered flights to Maldives. With the direct flights in place now, this will hopefully bring in even more Russian tourists to the country, and with the festive season being just around the corner, it will ensure that they get to enjoy a tropical vacation.

Currently, Russia holds the record for most number of tourist arrivals to Maldives since the reopening of borders on 15th July; Russia remains a strong key market with over 16.000 arrivals to date.

Expanding air connectivity between the two countries will be a major boost to the Maldives’ efforts to revive the country’s tourism-dependent economy.