Russian charter airline, Azur Air, has resumed direct flights to the Maldives to cater to the upcoming tourist season.
Azur Air will operate flights from Moscow to Velana International Airport (VIA) from October 28, 2022, according to the Maldives Airports Company Limited (MACL). The company said the airline will operate flights to VIA seven days a week and will utilise the Boeing 767 on these flights which has a capacity of 336 passengers.
Azur Air schedules flights to Maldives every year during the winter season due to the popularity of the country among tourists. Russia is now a major tourist destination in the Maldives. Russia was the second-largest tourist destination in the Maldives as of September this year with a total of 128,687 tourists arrivals, according to the Ministry of Tourism.
The Maldives aims to attract 1.6 million tourists this year. So far, over 1.3 million tourists have visited the Maldives this year.