Iberia on Saturday began flight operations to the Maldives.

The Spanish flag carrier’s maiden flight — an A-330/300 EC-LYF jet with 218 passengers — landed at the Maldives’ main Velana International Airport Saturday afternoon.

Until August 30, the Spanish airline will operate three weekly flights to the Maldives, departing from Madrid on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, and returning on Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays.

Both outgoing and incoming flights are timed for easy connections in Madrid to other Iberia destinations in Spain and the rest of Europe

Iberia’s first Indian Ocean destination

Iberia will use Airbus A-330/200 and A330/300 on the route, with capacity for 288-292 passengers, respectively.

On its Airbus A330/300, Iberia offers Business, Premium Economy and Economy cabins.

“The Maldives route represents Iberia’s first Indian Ocean destination, which happens to be one of the safest from Covid-19,” Iberia’s Commercial, Network Development & Alliances Director, María Jesús López Solás, said.

“Without a doubt, Maldives in one of our star products for this summer, and at Iberia we are committed to opening up new markets and to attracting sustainable, quality tourism.”

Since Iberia announced its new route, major tour operators have also designed packages and reserved blocks of seats on the new flights. Initially, Iberia scheduled two weekly frequencies, but has since increased the frequency to three.

“It is a special privilege to welcome Iberia, the flagship carrier of Spain on its maiden voyage. The direct flights from Madrid to Maldives will surely open doors for a much stronger European connection in the days ahead,” Gordon Andrew Stewart, CEO and Managing Director of Maldives Airports Company Limited, said.

“We are confident that Iberia will add value to our airport and boost Maldives tourism. I would like to convey my special thanks on behalf of Maldives Airports Company Ltd to the Iberia team for choosing Velana International Airport in their route expansion.”

Iberia is flying to the one of the safest airports in the world. Tackling Covid-19 pandemic Velana International Airport has kept its high standard measures assuring passenger’s safety. As a result on September 2020, it was awarded the ACI Health Accreditation certificate as the second airport from Asia Pacific and on January 2021 received the ACI Voice of the customer recognition award.

“Iberia Airlines’ maiden voyage to the Maldives from Spain represents a new step for the Maldivian tourism industry and the connectivity between Southern Europe and the Maldives,” Thoyyib Mohamed, Managing Director of Maldives Marketing and PR Corporation, said.

“Iberia Airlines commitment and trust in the Maldives is yet another example of the industry’s belief that Maldives is one of the safest destinations to travel to right now. With our targeted marketing efforts in the Spanish market, we look forward to welcoming travellers from Spain and Southern Europe to the sunny side of life.”