Maldives-China air travel to resume on November 29

Air travel between Maldives and China – a key source market for tourist arrivals to the island destination – is scheduled to resume in November.

According to the flight schedule released by Velana International Airport for winter, China Southern Airlines will start operations to Maldives on November 29, connecting Male’ to Guangzhou.

It will mark the first flight from China in nine months.

Meanwhile, Beijing Capital Airlines is scheduled to operate two flights between Male’ and Beijing in December, on December 2 and 4.

According to the flight schedule, 31 international airlines will operate to Maldives in winter, including new airlines.

China has been the top source market for tourist arrivals to Maldives in recent years.

Maldives has recorded 380,000 tourist arrivals in the first three months of this year, before it closed its borders due to the COVID-19 pandemic on March 27. The country reopened its borders after nearly four months of lockdown on July 15, and has recorded 31,000 tourist arrivals since.

The COVID-19 pandemic is a huge blow to Maldives, which had recorded an all-time high 1.77 million tourist arrivals last year, and had expected to break the record again this year.

Maldives is currently open to all tourists, provided they have proof of a negative COVID-19 PCR test taken maximum 96 hours before departure from their original destination.