Sri Lanka’s national carrier Sri Lankan Airlines commenced scheduled flights from Lankan capital Colombo to Gan International Airport in Addu atoll last Thursday. The inaugural flight to Gan landed at 8:15 a.m on the morning of 1st December 2016.  http://en.mihaaru.com/sri-lankan-airlines-commences-flights-to-maldives-south/

The first flight of Sri Lankan Airlines from Gan to Colombo scheduled to depart on Thursday has been fully booked. Passengers, including those from Addu as well as from nearby atolls, expressed joy over the new flight operations, saying it had been a long wait to be able to depart for Colombo from their own atoll.

Sri Lankan Airlines will operate four weekly flights between Colombo and Gan every Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Monday. The airport’s operator Addu International Airport Company (AIA)’s General Manager Ibthishama Ahmed Saeed highlighted the ongoing airport development projects, declaring that the airport faces a bright future with top quality services to be provided at the end of its development and expansion.

With this new development, the start of operations by local seaplane carrier Trans Maldivian Airways followed suit a mere two days later. Trans Maldivian Airways (TMA) had signed an agreement with Addu International Airport to setup and operate a seaplane base in Gan Airport earlier this year. The seaplane operation being setup in GAN airport will mainly cater to the requirement of the resorts and hotels both in Addu and Huvadhoo (Gaafu Alifu and Gaafu Dhaalu) Atoll. http://www.transmaldivian.com/tma-to-start-seaplane-operations-in-gan/

With the commencement of seaplane operations in south it will ease the logistics and further enhance the holiday experience of tourists travelling to the southern destinations of Maldives.

Furthermore it will be in the best interest of the community in the south as it will give an option for logistics for passengers in south region and will create more job opportunities with the commencement of this operation. This is in line with TMA’s endeavor to fuel growth and development in Maldives.

The inaugural flight on 3rd December 2016 had a flight of guests who were departing from Amari Havodda to Gan International Airport. Currently they are operating on request basis with only one seaplane at Gan, and offers the option of scenic photo-flights over Gan, Addu and neighbouring areas for those who want to have a bird’s eye view of southern Maldives. Yet again, another first in this exciting year!