Recently in Male:
Maldivian Airlines has signed a pact with the Chennai-headquartered
Apollo Hospitals to give discounts to each others’ clients. For example, Apollo
Hospitals will give a discount on its service charges for those who fly the
airline, and the airline will give similar discounts to the hospital’s patients
on the airfare.
The airlines’ Managing Director, Abdul Haris, said it is keen on signing
similar pacts with other healthcare service providers in India. He said the
Indian healthcare industry attracts the bulk of Maldivian tourists every year.
Every day, at least 200 Maldivians visit India, and a big chunk of them go
there for medical care. Besides, quoting some statistics, he said, on an
average, every Maldivian spends $600 in India. He also pointed out that the
number can be much more provided the Indian Government scraps the mandatory
60-day waiting period between every two visits. Though there is no need for a
visa for Maldivians, the government has imposed the 60-day waiting period. “To
that extent you lose forex revenue,” he said.
Besides bringing in Maldivians, by connecting Chennai and Dhaka, the
airline hopes to bring in a lot of health tourists to India. So far, there was
no direct flight from Dhaka to Chennai, Haris said.
The airline recently introduced new destinations in India such as
Chennai (three times a week) and Mumbai (three times a week) from Male. It also
proposes to connect New Delhi with Male very soon. With the expanded network,
the airline hopes to increase its passenger load factor many times.
Earlier, the airline has been operating between Male and
Thiruvananthapuram twice a day, flying more than 150 passengers both ways.
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