Business
Emirates will have to review strategy after coronavirus pandemic: COO
DUBAI (Reuters) – Gulf airline Emirates needs to redefine its strategy after the coronavirus pandemic brought global aviation to a near halt, its chief operating officer said on Thursday, flagging an increased focus on bringing more visitors to Dubai.
The group is one of the world’s biggest long-haul carriers and has over the past 35 years transformed Dubai into a major gateway for international travellers, most of whom connect onto flights to elsewhere.
“We will need to redefine some of the operating model… because surely what used to work for us in the past is not going to work for us going forward,” Adel Ahmad Al Redha told Reuters.
He said Emirates would focus on getting more passengers to visit Dubai while continuing to “connect the world” through the hub-and-spoke model it relied on for over three decades.
Emirates only operates international flights.
The airline is also planning to reexamine its network and to look at greater cooperation with fellow state carrier flydubai, he said. The two state airlines already sell tickets on some of each other’s flights and coordinate on network planning.
Emirates will also need to operate smaller aircraft, which it has ordered and are to be delivered from 2023, Al Redha said. It currently operates a fleet of large widebody Airbus A380s and Boeing 777s, many of which had to be grounded due to the pandemic.
“Going forward we cannot sustain long-term operating on that kind of fleet. We need to inject the smaller type,” Al Redha said.
Not all of Emirates’ 115 A380s will return to service this year, and the airline is in talks with Airbus to delay three planes due to be delivered this year, he said.
Al Redha said it was not clear whether Boeing would deliver the new version of the 777, known as the 777x, next year. The airline is not in talks to cancel any aircraft orders, he added
Airbus declined to comment. A Boeing spokeswoman said the company continues to make steady progress on the new jet, which began flight testing in January.
Emirates has started resuming flights to certain destinations as countries ease coronavirus restrictions.
It will fly to up to 55 destinations in July and 60 in August.
Al Redha said booking demand was looking positive after plunging during the pandemic and that some flights were filling 50% of occupancy. He cautioned that it was unclear whether the recovery would be sustained.
Most passengers travelling on its flights were those who had been stranded because of lockdowns or were travelling to visit family members rather that for business or leisure, he said.
Reporting and photo: Reuters
Business
Feydhoo Hall opens at dusitD2 Feydhoo Maldives as new event space
Dusit International, one of Thailand’s leading hotel and property development companies, has announced the opening of Feydhoo Hall, a landmark event venue at dusitD2 Feydhoo Maldives, redefining the possibilities for meetings, celebrations, and destination events in the Maldives.
Designed to bring scale, flexibility, and creativity to island gatherings, Feydhoo Hall represents a bold step forward in positioning the Maldives as a dynamic destination for conferences, weddings, and large-scale social occasions.
Feydhoo Hall offers a versatile event complex designed to accommodate a wide range of gatherings, from corporate meetings and conferences to weddings and social celebrations.

At its core is the 390 sqm Main Hall, capable of hosting:
- Up to 300 guests in theatre-style setup
- Up to 240 guests for dining and banquet-style events
- Up to 200 guests for cocktail-style receptions
- Up to 144 guests in cluster-round configuration
Enhancing the flexibility of the venue are additional dedicated spaces, including:
- A 110 sqm Veranda Terrace, ideal for welcome receptions, breakout sessions, and pre-event gatherings, accommodating up to 100 guests for cocktail-style events.
- A spacious 1,000 sqm Lawn Space, perfect for large-scale outdoor celebrations, destination weddings, and open-air events, accommodating up to 400 guests for cocktail receptions and up to 350 guests for dining setups.
- The 55 sqm Ekugai Meeting Room, designed for smaller meetings and executive sessions, accommodating up to 30 guests in theatre or dining setup and 24 guests in cluster-round format.
Together, these integrated spaces create a seamless indoor-outdoor event experience, allowing planners to design dynamic and personalised event journeys.
True to the dusitD2 brand’s lifestyle-driven philosophy, Feydhoo Hall introduces a fresh approach to meetings and events — where productivity meets creativity in an inspiring island setting.
The venue offers flexible meeting formats designed to suit different event needs, including:
- Half-Day Meeting Package (4 hours) — ideal for focused sessions, executive meetings, and creative workshops.
- Full-Day Meeting Package (8 hours) — designed for immersive conferences, extended workshops, and large-scale corporate gatherings.
These thoughtfully structured packages provide planners with the flexibility to create impactful and seamless experiences, whether hosting intimate strategy sessions or dynamic full-day events.

Located just seven minutes by speedboat from Velana International Airport, dusitD2 Feydhoo Maldives combines accessibility with vibrant lifestyle energy, offering event planners and guests a rare balance between convenience and tropical escape.
With the introduction of Feydhoo Hall, the resort strengthens its position as a versatile destination — not only for leisure travellers but also for international conferences, creative retreats, luxury weddings, and large-scale social celebrations seeking something refreshingly different in the Maldives.
Business
BBM expands retail presence with new Hulhumalé outlet
Bestbuy Maldives (BBM) opened a new wholesale store in Hulhumalé Phase 2 on Monday.
The outlet is located on the ground floor of Lot 20286, Nirolhu Magu, and is intended to improve access to BBM’s imported goods for residents of Hulhumalé Phase 2 and for businesses operating in the area.
According to the company, the opening forms part of its plan to expand services closer to customers in line with population growth in Hulhumalé.
With the opening of the new store, BBM’s full range of imported and distributed products will be available at the Hulhumalé Phase 2 location. These include consumer goods from international brands such as Lifebuoy, Vaseline and Unilever.
The store will also stock wholesale food products from brands including Daily, Cavin’s and Redman.
BBM has supplied goods to resorts, hotels and retail outlets across the Maldives for several years.
Action
Ataraxis Grand & Spa hosts integrated work-and-dive corporate retreat in Fuvahmulah
Ataraxis Grand & Spa recently hosted a week-long, closed corporate offsite in Fuvahmulah for a US-based artificial intelligence company, highlighting the island’s growing suitability for integrated work-and-experience retreats. The retreat brought a group of 36 international professionals to the property, which was reserved exclusively for the programme.
Designed as a private company offsite, the stay combined structured daily work sessions with guided diving and beginner-friendly surf experiences, creating a balanced format that blended focused collaboration with physical reset.

A notable component of the programme was dive training and certification. During the retreat, 17 participants completed their Open Water certification, while a further six undertook the Advanced Open Water course, with training and dives scheduled alongside work sessions as part of the integrated itinerary.
Throughout the week, participants worked on-site using dedicated shared spaces supported by reliable high-speed internet, allowing meetings, informal collaboration and scheduled activities to take place within a single, uninterrupted environment. This setup enabled teams to move seamlessly between work periods and organised ocean activities without leaving the property.

Fuvahmulah’s natural and operational advantages formed a key part of the retreat’s appeal. As one of the Maldives’ largest inhabited islands, it offers immediate access to pelagic dive sites, internationally recognised shark diving and surf breaks suitable for instruction, alongside the infrastructure required to support extended group stays.

The offsite reflects a growing preference among technology and knowledge-sector teams for small-scale retreats that prioritise concentrated work environments and team cohesion over traditional conference formats. Such programmes typically involve longer stays and higher per-capita spend, aligning with sustainable, quality-driven tourism models.
The retreat also demonstrates how locally operated properties such as Ataraxis Grand & Spa are supporting this shift by delivering unified environments where accommodation, workspaces, connectivity and curated experiences operate as a single programme rather than separate services.

As organisations continue to explore alternative formats for strategy sessions, team resets and creative offsites, Ataraxis Grand & Spa’s experience positions Fuvahmulah as an increasingly viable destination for integrated corporate retreats.
Ataraxis Grand & Spa offers work-and-dive retreat programmes in Fuvahmulah that combine accommodation, dedicated workspaces, high-speed connectivity and organised diving and surfing.

Further information on retreat formats and dive-inclusive stays is available via the Ataraxis Grand & Spa website.
-
Featured1 week agoYear of the Horse celebrations across Sun Siyam’s Luxury, Privé and Lifestyle resorts
-
Action6 days agoBestbuy Maldives supports health, wellness as Main Sponsor of MNU Marathon 2026
-
Action1 week agoLUX Tennis joins St. Regis Maldives Vommuli to expand active lifestyle programme
-
Love1 week agoKandooma Maldives invites couples to gift island escape this Valentine’s Day
-
Awards1 week agoEllaidhoo Maldives secures HolidayCheck Gold Award for second consecutive year
-
Cooking7 days agoMaagiri Hotel invites guests to celebrate Ramadan with daily Iftar
-
Love6 days agoRomance in nature: Valentine’s week at Eri Maldives
-
Food1 week agoOBLU XPERIENCE Ailafushi invites guests to break fast island-style this Ramadan


