Malé, Maldives – Maldives national airline, Maldivian has announced that two of the three brand new aircraft for the national airline will arrive tomorrow.
The two aircrafts have now started their journey from Toulouse, France. Both flights will land at Velana International Airport early tomorrow, Maldivian operator Island Aviation said.
Island Aviation Marketing and PR Executive Ahmed Mushil Sobah told local media that the two ATR 72-600 aircraft have a capacity of 70 passengers.
Maldivian’s ATRs will be fitted with the new Pratt & Whitney Canada PW127XT engines, the development of which was unveiled at the Dubai air show in 2021.
According to Maldivian, the new aircrafts will result in 3% reduction in fuel consumption and a 20% reduction in maintenance costs, along with the ability to use sustainable aviation fuels (SAF).
The national airline currently has a fleet of eight aircraft with a capacity of 50 passengers, and 2 aircraft with 37 passenger seats. There are also a total of 11 seaplane and one Airbus.
Maldivian also placed an order for one ATR 42-600 which was initially scheduled to be delivered within the first quarter of 2023. However, the national airline later stated that it was difficult to give an exact date at the moment.