Indian budget airline, GoAir has resumed direct flights to the Maldives, today 1st November 2020. According to a Tweet by Velana International Airport, the airline will fly directly to the Maldives from Delhi, Mumbai, and Bangalore.
The airline is using its A320 aircraft for operations between the Maldives and India. The resumption of operations by GoAir further strengthens the connectivity between the Maldives and India. Indian celebrities have heated social media with jaw-dropping shots from their holidays in the Maldives since the border reopening. Meanwhile, the Maldives has also built the connectivity between the two nations with the India-Maldives air bubble.
This Air Bubble initiative which started on 25th August 2020 is a first for India within this region to boost tourism. Flights from Air India and Indigo started operations from New Delhi and Bangalore to the Maldives earlier. Thus, with the addition of GoAir will aid in the much-anticipated increase in tourist arrivals from the Indian market.
In 2019, India was the highest performing tourist market to the Maldives. Likewise, India is a key focus market in the recovery of tourism in the Maldives. The past year saw the Indian tourist market rising with a staggering annual growth of 83.5%. In addition to that, over 160,000 tourists from India visited the island nation in 2019.
More airlines have announced their plans to resume flights to the Maldives. For travellers planning to visit the Island archipelago, you need a negative PCR test taken 96 hours before arrival in the Maldives. You should submit the results when you fill the Traveler Health Declaration Form. And this form can be submitted via the Maldives Immigration website.
Also read: Winter is Coming—A wave of Airlines to Resume Flights to the Maldives
The Maldives expects tourist arrivals to grow further as these airlines resume its operations. Furthermore, arrivals to the island nation remain growing at a steady pace.
