Private company

Maldivian

Logo: maldivian.aero³

Airline of the Maldives

Maldivian is the airline division of Island Aviation Services and is based in Malé, Maldives. As the flag carrier of the Maldives, they operate international flights in addition to inter-island services, with its main hub at Velana International Airport.² Wikipedia text CC BY-SA 4.0

Last updated Oct 21, 2026.

Overview

2000Founded¹

HeadquartersMalé¹
Founded inMalé¹
Websitewww.maldivian.aero

See how the biggest companies compare on our leaderboards

The story

On 23 April 2009, the Maldivian government, under a Presidential decree, incorporated Island Aviation Services Limited as a wholly government-owned limited company. The airline began operations with a fleet comprising one Bombardier Dash 8 Q200 and two Dornier 228 aircraft, serving only domestic airports within the Maldives. International operations commenced on 26 January 2008, with scheduled flights to Thiruvananthapuram, India. On 25 August 2008, the airline division was rebranded as Maldivian.

In 2023, Maldivian started using new generation ATR 72-600 and ATR 42-600 aircraft in its fleet, replacing its older Dash 8 aircraft. On 6 January 2025, Maldivian introduced its first widebody aircraft, an Airbus A330-200, with plans to add a second A330 and a Boeing 787-8. The airline is also seeking destinations in Europe, Africa, and Asia. The inaugural flight was to Chengdu in China.

From Wikipedia’s article on Maldivian (airline), shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.⁴

Products and brands

Destinations

Maldivian flies to the following destinations on scheduled domestic and international service as of January 2025:

Codeshare agreements

Maldivian has codeshare agreements with the following airline:

Qatar Airways

Interline agreements

Maldivian has interline agreements with the following airlines:

Read the full text

Air India

Azerbaijan Airlines

Emirates

Etihad Airways

Fleet

Fleet development

In 2000, Island Aviation Services operated one De Havilland Canada Dash 8-200 and two Dornier 228s at the time, and in late 2004, they ordered one De Havilland Canada Dash 8-200 to expand the fleet. In 2006, the airline ordered two Dash 8-300s. The first aircraft delivery was in 2007, and the other in 2008. In 2006, all Dornier 228 aircraft were phased out. In 2008, Island Aviation Services re-branded as Maldivian and handed over as the flag carrier of the Maldives. In 2011, the airline ordered one Airbus A320-200 for wider routes, with it being delivered in 2012. In late 2012, a new Dash 8-300 was delivered. In 2013, they ordered five more Dash 8-300s, with the final being delivered in 2018. In 2014, Maldivian introduced the de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter, with their last one being delivered in 2018. Later in 2014, Maldivian ordered one Airbus A321-200. In late 2022, the A321 retired. In early 2023, Maldivian had taken delivery of three ATR aircraft and ordered five more aircraft. In July 2024, Maldivian ordered their first wide-body aircraft, the Airbus A330-200, being delivered on 6 January 2025.

Current fleet

As of June 2026, Maldivian operates the following aircraft:

Other services

As of June 2024, Island Aviation Services provides the following services at all public airports of the Maldives.

Aircraft engineering services

Ground control

Flight operations

Aerodrome operation

Refueling services