TMA Goes Without Flying for First Time

Tuesday 7th of April 2020

TMA Goes Without Flying for First Time

Trans Maldivian Airways (TMA), world’s largest seaplane operator, has been flying in the skies of Maldives for two decades without a day going by without the airline’s seaplanes cruising above the Maldives’ turquoise waters. However, for the first time, the airline had zero flights flying.

On 5th April, a Sunday, which used to be referred to as a ‘Super Sunday’ due to the high volume of tourist arrivals and air traffic, TMA had no flights operating due to the coronavirus pandemic. Between shelter-in-place orders, border closures, travel bans, and social distancing advisories, demand for air travel has also dropped, leading airlines to suspend routes, cancel flights, ground huge portions of their fleets, and give early retirements to older planes.

Almost all the domestic carriers, including Manta Air, which fly more tourists than locals, have suspended commercial flight operations, owing to a slump in tourist arrivals due to a blanket suspension of on-arrival visa.