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A Timeline of Aviation

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Gan International Airport
1950s - Present

Originally built by the British as a staging post for its RAF base during 1950s and was handed over to the Maldivian Government in 1976 with almost an equivalent of an ICAO code 4D air strip comprising of then state of the art equipment and facilities.

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Air Maldives
1974-2000

 

This was the first national airline of the Maldives. The airline had a fleet of Airbus A300, A310, Dash8s, Do228 etc and flown to France, Germany, India Japan and etc

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Maldives Airways
1984-1986

 

offering scheduled passenger flights using a fleet of two Douglas DC-8 aircraft.There was at least one regular flight between Malé and Dubai (UAE) during the two years the airline operated. also operated to gan before bankruptcy

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Humming Bird Airways
1989-2000

 airline was established in 1993 by Danish investors and started operations in the same year as the first airline to use DHC6 Twin Otter seaplanes in the Maldives

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Maldivian Air Taxi
1993-2013

 airline was established in 1993 by Danish investors and started operations in the same year as the first airline to use DHC6 Twin Otter seaplanes in the Maldives

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Maldivian
2000 - Present

Maldivian is presently the national airline of the Maldives with a fleet of DHC6 Twin Otters, Dash8s and Airbus operating domestically and internationally. 

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Air Equator
2003-2005

Air Equator was an airline based in Gan. The airline operated between Gan, Kaadehdhoo, Male', Hanimaadhoo.  All flights were discontinued and operations ceased  in August 2005 after disagreement between SPA Aviation and A. Faiz on financial and administrative control

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Maamigili Airport
2011-Present

 

 

Villa Airport Maamigili opened to flights in 2011 as the first privately built airport in the Maldives and is the maintenance base for Flyme.

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 Fuvahmulah Airport
2011-Present

Fuvahmulah Airport is a domestic airport located in Fuvahmulah in Gnaviyani Atoll opened in November 2011.

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 Kooddoo Airport
2012-Present

Kooddoo Airport is a domestic airport located in Kooddoo in Gaafu Alifu Atoll. Theairport  was opened on 10 September 2012 by President Mohamed Waheed Hassan.

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Thimarafushi Airport
2013-Present

Thimarafushi Airport is a domestic airport located in Thimarafushi in Thaa Atoll. The first test flight was conducted on 2 September 2013 and was opened on 3rd September 2013 by President Mohamed Waheed Hassan.

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Dhaalu Airport
2017-Present

The airport was built entirely on 63 hectares of reclaimed land and features a runway of 1,800 metres allowing it to accommodate Dash-8 and ATR-72 aircraft[2] as well as large private jets.

Dhaalu Airport is the first airport in Maldives to make extensive use of solar airfield lighting.

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Kulhudhuffushi Airport 
2019-Present

Kulhudhuffushi Airport is an airport located in Kulhudhuffushi in Haa Dhaalu Atoll. The airport opened on 9 August 2019.

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 Funadhoo Airport
2020-Present

Funadhoo Airport is a domestic airport located in Funadhoo in Shaviyani Atoll. The first test flight to Funadhoo airport was operated on January 24, 2020.

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 Madivaru Airport
2021-Present

Madivaru Airport is a domestic airport location in Madivaru, Lhaviyani Atoll, Maldives.

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BeOnd
2023-Present

BeOnd is was founded by Max Nilov and Tero Taskila in November 2022. The airline is a joint venture formed by the Emirati investment firm Arabesque, and the Maldivian hospitality company SIMDI Group.

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Velana International Airport
1969 - Present

A small strip of land on the then inhabited island of Hulhulé that today is the main hub of all internatinoal arrivals to the maldives. Today the airport is under construction to handle a capacity of 7.3 million passengers per year.

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Civil Aviation Authority
1982

 

The Department of Civil Aviation was established on 10 November 1982. This department functioned under the President's Office. Civil Aviation functions till then were undertaken by the Civil Aviation Section of the Ministry of Transport.

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Kahdhoo Airport
1986 - Present

Excavation for the runway began on1982, and the final layer of the runway was completed on 6 April 1986. The project was implemented totally using local expertise, and though it was initiated under the Government’s budget alone, additional financial assistance was received

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Hanimaadhoo Internatonal Airport -Present

 airline was established in 1993 by Danish investors and started operations in the same year as the first airline to use DHC6 Twin Otter seaplanes in the Maldives

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Kaadedhdhoo Airport
1993 - Present

Kaadedhdhoo Airport is a domestic airport located in Kaadedhdhoo in Gaafu Dhaalu atoll. The airport is was opened on 10 December 1993, by President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom.

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Trans Maldivian Airways
2000-Present

 

In 2000 Hummingbird Island was rebranded as Trans Maldivian Airways. Later TMA acquired a fleet of 16 Twin Otter seaplane, the airline operated ATR 42 for a small period  in 2007-09. TMA merged with MAT in 2013 and became the largest seaplane operator in the world.

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Mega Maldives
2010-2017

 

The airline operated with 4 Boeing 767-300, 1 757-200 and 1 737-800. The airline operated scheduled and charter operations to China, Malayshia, UAE, Bangladesh, India and more

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Fly Me
2011-Present

The airline launched oeprations with ATR42-500 with later aqquireing ATR72-5/600 operating primiarily between Maamigili airport and Dharavandhoo Airport. In 2014 the airline aqquired a C208 seaplane which is now retried from the fleet. 

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Maldives Civil Aviation Authority
2012-Present

Maldives Civil Aviation Authority was formed as an independent authority by the Parliament under Act 2/2012 and all the functions of CAD were transfered to the Authority.

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Dharavandhoo Airport
2012-Present

Dharavandhoo Airport is a domestic airport located on the island of Dharavandhoo in  Baa Atoll. It was opened on 17 October 2012 by President Mohamed Waheed Hassan and commercial fight operations began to the airport on 15th Oct.

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Ifuru Airport
2015-Present

Ifuru Airport is a domestic airport located in Raa Atoll.Scheduled Flights to this airport began in may 2015.

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Manta Air
2019-Present

 

The airline commenced operation with 3 ATR 72-600 aircraft and soon started seaplane operation with 6 DHC6 Twin Otters mainly operating to base Dhaalu Airport and Dharavandhoo Airport.

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Maafaru Intetnational Airport
2019-Present

Maafaru International Airportis an international airport located on Maafaru in Noonu Atoll that officially opened on 1 December 2019.

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 Maavarulu Airport
2020-Present

Maavarulu Airport is a domestic airport located on Maavarulu in Gaafu Dhaalu Atoll. Scheduled Flights to this airport began in 4th July 2020.

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 Faresmaathoda Airport
2023-Present

Faresmaahoda Airport is a domestic airport located in Gaafu Atoll, Maldives.

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