Maldives: British Airways returns to the tropical haven

The British Airways has resumed scheduled flights to the Maldives on 17 October 2020.

The flights will operate from London Heathrow Airport to Male, Maldives, three days a week on Sunday, Wednesday and Friday. The flight is to arrive at Male the following day after its departure from London, the Maldives being a long haul destination. Direct flights back from the Maldives to London depart on Mondays, Thursdays, and Saturdays.

The airline has taken a range of health and safety measures to ensure the well-being of its customers and to prevent the spreading of COVID-19, due to the ongoing pandemic. Thus all travelers of the airline are expected to abide by the guidelines provided, for their own safety and others’. Previously, a statement was released by British Airways emphasizing on the precautionary measures being taken, such as cleaning all key surfaces, including seats, screens, seat buckles, and tray tables after every flight and each aircraft is being cleaned from nose to tail daily. The cabin crews have also adopted a new type of food service to customers that require minimum interaction.

The air within the flights are fully recycled once every two to three minutes through High-Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filters which remove microscopic bacteria and virus clusters with over 99.9% efficiency, equivalent to hospital operating theatre standards.

Customers, who are experiencing any symptoms of COVID-19, are being urged not to travel and will face consequences if they do so, along with other individuals traveling with them. 

Since borders opened on 15 July in the Maldives, a number of 1587 tourists have arrived from the UK alone, the country being one of the largest tourist markets of the Maldives.