SriLankan Airlines has added a direct London-Maldives link to its winter schedule.

The new twice-weekly Heathrow-Male service will get under way on 12 December, operating on Tuesdays and Saturdays.

Flights will depart Heathrow at 7.30pm, arriving Male at 10.50am the following day.

Return flights will also operate on Tuesdays and Saturdays, departing Male at 11.40am and arriving into Heathrow at 6.00pm.

From March 30, 2021, flights will depart Heathrow at 8.10pm, but are still scheduled to arrive in Male at 10.50am the following day.

The route will operate until April 13, 2021, running alongside oneworld alliance partner British Airways’ six-times-weekly direct Heathrow-Male service, which operates every day bar Thursdays.

BA’s Male flights depart Heathrow at 6.15pm on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays at 6.15pm, arriving Male at 9.40am+1.

Its Saturday flights depart Heathrow at 9.20pm, arriving Male at 12.45pm+1.

The announcement will come as another boost for the Maldives, and for the travel trade, after the destination in the Indian Ocean was added to the UK’s travel corridor list last month.

Following last month’s announcement, Britons no longer need to self-isolate for 14 days when returning from the Maldives.

Meanwhile, travel firm Kuoni earlier revealed that travellers in the UK were planning to splash out on luxury Christmas overseas trips after settling for summer staycations, with demand for year-end getaways in Maldives on the arise.

Bookings for 2021 trips to the Maldives are also on the rise.

Recent Google search data has also shown the Maldives as the top holiday destination among Europeans for next year.

Meanwhile, British Airways has resumed its direct winter service to the Maldives.

The Maldives reopened its borders on July 15.

With the border reopening, 30-day free on-arrival visa is issued to all tourists with a confirmed booking for a stay at any registered tourist facility in the country.

There is no mandatory quarantine or testing on arrival, but tourists have to complete an online health declaration form and provide a negative PCR test result taken at least 96 hours prior to their departure.

Visitors with symptoms of the Covid-19 respiratory disease caused by the novel coronavirus or those travelling with someone who has similar symptoms are also tested at their own expense.