Maldivian (Q2, Malé) will begin operating its first widebody aircraft in September 2024, Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation Mohamed Ameen told PSM News.
Ameen did not reveal the type or the route, but stressed that the state-owned carrier has already set up a dedicated team to research long-haul expansion and identify potential destinations.
The airline recently issued two separate Requests for Proposals (RFPs): one for the dry lease of a single B787-8 and the other for a single A330-200. While the bid registration period in both tenders has already passed, Maldivian has not yet revealed the outcomes of the processes. It also did not responded to ch-aviation's request for an update.
Maldivian's current fleet is geared towards domestic operations with a fleet of one ATR42-600 (with two more on order), two ATR72-600s, eleven DHC-6-300s, one DHC-8-200, one DHC-8-Q200, and seven DHC-8-Q300s. The airline also operates a single A320-200, currently deployed out of Malé to Bengaluru International, Dhaka, Kochi International, and Thiruvananthapuram in India, according to the ch-aviation schedules module.
