Kuwait Airways, the country’s flagship carrier, on Monday started direct flights to the Maldives.

The first flight was welcomed with a water salute at a special ceremony held Monday morning at Velana International Airport (VIA).

The event was attended by Dr Abdulla Mausoom, Minister of Tourism; Ibrahim Thoha, Deputy Managing Director of Maldives Airports Company Ltd (MACL); and, Kuwait Airways Regional Manager Bashar Karem along with senior officials from Kuwait Airways, Ministry of Tourism and MACL.

The tourism minister stated that with the start of Kuwait Airline operations, it will increase the number of passengers from Europe to the Maldives as Kuwait feeds European routes. The minister also stated that with the start of the World Cup in November, flights from the Middle East are gathering momentum. Kuwait airlines’ direct flights opened another door for Middle Eastern travellers to the Maldives.

Two weekly flights are scheduled between Kuwait and the Maldives. These flights will make use of A320 aircraft with a seating capacity of 134 passengers.

Kuwait Airways operates scheduled flights to Africa, Asia-Pacific, and to North America. In the first six months of 2022, more than 4000 travellers from Kuwait visited the Maldives.