Maldivian recently took delivery of third and final ATR42-600, completing an order placed in 2021. The aircraft took off from Toulouse, France and travelling over Heraklion, Hurghada and Muscat to Male from March 30 to April 2.
With the new aircraft, Maldivian’s fleet has expanded to a total of 15 aircraft. The 42-seater ATR is yet to be deployed into commercial operations.
The national airline signed to acquire new ATR aircraft to replace the ageing Dash-8s in January 2021. Under the agreement, the first two planes, ATR 72-600s, arrived in January 2023 and were put into commercial operation later that month.
Maldivian is currently undergoing a fleet overhaul and has plans to fully replace its Dash-8 fleet with new ATRs. The airline made the move since the older Dash-8 models are no longer manufactured by De Havilland, causing several maintenance malfunctions and interrupting the airline’s flight schedules.
With the new ATR variants, the airline hopes to reduce interruptions to its flight schedules.
Meanwhile, the airline has already announced that it is seeking interested parties to purchase nine Dash-8 aircrafts for its fleet.