Dubai-based Flydubai, a leading low-cost airline, has announced flights to Malé, the capital of Maldives, bringing the airline’s presence in the Indian Subcontinent to nine points across six countries.

Commencing January 19, 2013, flights will operate five times a week between Dubai’s Terminal 2 and the Maldives’ Ibrahim Nasir International Airport on the island of Malé.

“We are very excited about adding Malé to our destination network,” said flydubai’s CEO, Ghaith Al Ghaith.

“As the first low-cost carrier from the UAE to fly to the Maldives, we are making this island paradise even more accessible to travellers across our network. Flydubai offers a low-cost model with innovation and excellent service. This proposition has proved very popular with our passengers and will undoubtedly be a draw for those looking to experience one of the world’s top holiday spots at an affordable price.”

Voted the number one island destination in the Indian Ocean by Condé Nast Traveller readers, the Maldives has advanced its tourism credentials by promoting its rich culture, vast array of luxury resort experiences, exotic culinary experiences and adventure sports ranging from paragliding to diving.

The country has also remained committed to protecting its diverse ecology and champions environmentally-friendly activities. The result has been a consistent growth in visitor numbers over the years, with the Maldives welcoming almost a million tourists in 2011 – a leap of 17.6 per cent over 2010.

The country has proved particularly popular amongst travellers from Russia, CIS and GCC, with figures revealing a 15.7 per cent increase in tourist arrivals in the first quarter of this year compared to January to March 2011.

The report also highlighted a 77.8 per cent increase in passengers from the Middle East over the same period with the growth linked to the opening of a number of Middle East-based hotel chains, such as Jumeirah Group’s Vittaveli Maldives which opened in December 2011. Flydubai flies to 16 points in the CIS and CEE, and more than 20 points in the Middle East.

“We anticipate a strong demand for flights from the GCC, in particular Kuwait, as well as markets such as Russia, CIS and Central & Eastern Europe. Thanks to our strong presence in both these regions, passengers will be able to fly to the Maldives via our Dubai hub,” said Ghaith Al Ghaith.

“This will be our first launch in 2013 and we look forward to welcoming passengers from across our network to this wonderful country.” – TradeArabia News Service