Emirates, the world’s largest international airline, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Maldivian, the national airline and leading domestic carrier in the Maldives, to explore codeshare, interline, and joint holiday package opportunities.

Adnan Kazim, Emirates’ Chief Commercial Officer, said: “Maldives is one of the most popular leisure destinations in Emirates’ network and we are very pleased to be exploring a partnership with the nation’s local carrier. A codeshare and interline agreement will immensely benefit both carriers. For Emirates customers, its enhanced connectivity to and from the Maldivian archipelago. For Maldivian travelers, it’ll ease access to our extensive network of more than 120 destinations, via Dubai. We look forward to continue strengthening our partnership and to offering customers a seamless travel experience.”

Ibrahim Ameer, Minister of Finance of the Republic of Maldives, said: “Emirates’ impact to the Maldives’ tourism industry is significant, with the airline ranking first in terms of international passenger traffic. The possible partnership between the two airlines will benefit the Maldivian economy and strengthen economic ties between the Maldives and the United Arab Emirates.”

Mohamed Mihad, Maldivian’s Managing Director, said: “The opportunity to explore a partnership with the largest airline in the world brings about endless opportunities for Maldivian. The growth prospects that could follow such a partnership is key when we look to expand our operations and develop partnerships that will allow us to position ourselves in the post Covid aviation industry. The interline and codeshare arrangement being explored would enable both Maldivian as well as Emirates to enhance the connectivity and expand on the service offerings.”

The two carriers are reviewing a codeshare agreement that will enable Emirates’ customers to conveniently book and connect from Male’ to more than 15 domestic destinations and the international destinations served by Maldivian.

Emirates and Maldivian will also explore opportunities to cooperate on their respective tour operating arms, to offer customers tailor-made packages including hotel stays at world class resorts and exclusive tours.

Emirates launched operations to the Maldives in 1987, and the airline currently serves the island-nation with 28 weekly flights, playing a vital role with supporting the country’s trade and tourism recovery. The airline was recently crowned as top carrier in the Maldives, connecting 265,000 passengers to the island-nation from top markets including, UAE, UK, US, Russia, and Germany.

Emirates currently has codeshare agreements in place with 23 airline partners and two rail companies. The airline also has an interline agreement with over 115 airlines and rail companies.

Emirates has safely restarted operations to more than 120 destinations within its global network, via Dubai. The airline has led the industry with its innovative products and services, including a comprehensive set of health and safety measures at every step of the journey, contactless technology at Dubai Airport, generous and flexible booking policies, and COVID-19 medical insurance.