Air India and Maldivian, the national airline of the Maldives, have entered into a bilateral interline partnership aimed at enhancing connectivity between India and the Maldives, allowing passengers seamless access to a wider network of domestic and regional destinations.The agreement enables travellers on Air India to connect effortlessly through Malé to 16 domestic points across the Maldives operated by Maldivian, including lesser-explored islands such as Hanimaadhoo, Kooddoo, Gan, Kaadedhdhoo, Kulhudhuffushi, Dharavandhoo, Maafaru, and Kadhdoo, among others.
This facilitates single-ticket itineraries with coordinated schedules and streamlined baggage handling.Conversely, the partnership allows Maldivian to feed passengers from Air India’s extensive global network, particularly from hubs in Delhi and Mumbai, as well as connections via Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram, onto its services to Malé and Hanimaadhoo.
This is expected to boost feeder traffic on Maldivian’s India routes and enhance overall passenger convenience.“This partnership marks a new chapter in our efforts to expand accessibility to the Maldives and provide connectivity for passengers traveling beyond Malé to the atolls,” said Ibrahim Iyas, Managing Director of Maldivian. “With Air India’s strong network and our reach within the Maldives, this collaboration will play a key role in supporting tourism and business travel between our nations.”“The Maldives continues to be one of the most preferred leisure destinations for Indian travellers, and this interline partnership with Maldivian opens the door to the country’s lesser-explored atolls and islands”, said Nipun Aggarwal, Chief Commercial Officer, Air India. “By combining Air India’s extensive global network with Maldivian’s reach across domestic points beyond Malé, guests can now discover the true diversity of the archipelago on a single itinerary.”
The interline arrangement aligns with both airlines’ objectives to foster regional cooperation, promote tourism growth, and deliver improved customer experiences through integrated networks and smoother connections. The Maldives remains a top choice for Indian leisure travellers, with the partnership poised to further strengthen bilateral air travel ties.
