South African Airlines has begun direct operations to Gan International Airport.
The weekly charter flight will be operated by South Africa based Air Tour Operator (ATO) by utilising a 300-seater Airbus A340 aeroplane. In this regard, 3 weekly charter flights will be operated from Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg to the airport in Addu City, according to Gan International Airport. The commencement of direct flights between South Africa and Maldives is expected to increase the number of tourists from South Africa region.
The ceremony held to officially commence the direct flights between South Africa and Maldives was attended by Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation Aishath Nahula, Speaker of Parliament Qasim Ibrahim, Champa Hussain Afeef, Management of Gan International Airport and Mayor of Addu City Abdulla Sodiq.
Addressing the ceremony, Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation Aishath Nahula stated the commencements of international direct flights to another local airport paves way to enhance the local tourism sector and will minimise the dependency on Velana International Airport (VIA).
Gan International Airport is the second biggest airport operated in Maldives.