Maldivian, the flag carrier for the Maldives island chain, continues to renew its fleet, this time ordering two addition ATR 42-600 aircraft. This follows their initial order of two 72-600s and one 42-600 back in January 2022.
The latest order comes as they continue working towards phasing out their older Bombarier Dash 8 200s and 300s. The new ATRs will be used to operate domestic routes to the larger Maldivian islands, and will be powered by ATR’s recently introduced PW127XT engines. These engines save 3% more fuel and reduce maintenance cost by as much as 20% over previous models in the 42 and 72 line.
Mohamed Mihad, Managing Director of Maldivian, stated: “We introduced our first two ATR aircraft into our fleet in January 2023, and our passengers already praise the comfort and modernity of their cabin, as well as the reliability of the services we are providing. As the benchmark in regional aviation, both in terms of financial efficiency and CO2 emissions, the ATR -600 series represents a valuable asset for us to achieve responsible growth while providing quick access to essential services and preserving destinations for the archipelago’s residents and tourists.”
While the website lists them having eight Dash 8 300s and two Dash 8 200s, it seems only four of the eight 300s are still in service while only one one two 200s still service the airline. The fleet of Dash 8s span between 20 and 27 years old.
They also have 11 de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter, of which nine of 11 appear to still be active. They have one Airbus A320 in service, operating flights out of Male to destinations in India and Bangladesh.
[Featured Photo: Maldavian]
