(TAN): Air India will resume direct flights to Maldives from Bangalore and New Delhi from February 5, while IndiGo is starting daily nonstop direct flights from Bangalore to Male starting February 1, Visit Maldives said.
After the temporary halting of flights to Maldives due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Air India resumed operations to the country on August 25, 2020. Passengers looking to travel on this flight are able to book their tickets via Villa Travels. Furthermore, passengers travelling to India on Air India are required to have a negative RT-PCR test report conducted no earlier than 96 hours prior to departure.
India’s largest private airline, IndiGo, till the end of January 2021, operated three weekly flights between the two countries. With the latest increase in frequency, the airline will now operate flights from Maldives to the four Indian cities of Mumbai (daily), Bangalore (daily), New Delhi, (four times a week) and Kochi (four times a week).
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In August 2020, Maldives and India also established an Air Bubble between the two countries, making it the first Air Bubble established in South Asia. The flights are arranged in this safe corridor, provided by the local authorities, where tourists can travel straight to the respective tourist establishment from the airport without any hassle.
In 2020, India was ranked the top source market for tourism in Maldives. Currently, India ranks second for the year 2021. Maldives has been reopened for tourists of all nationalities since July 15, 2020.
