Sri Lankan Airlines has added a direct London-Maldives link to its winter schedule.
The new twice-weekly Heathrow-Male service will get under way on 12 December, operating on Tuesdays and Saturdays.
Flights will depart Heathrow at 7.30pm, arriving Male at 10.50am the following day.
Return flights will also operate on Tuesdays and Saturdays, departing Male at 11.40am and arriving into Heathrow at 6.00pm.
From 30 March 2021, flights will depart Heathrow at 8.10pm, but are still scheduled to arrive in Male at 10.50am the following day.
The route will operate until 13 April 2021, running alongside oneworld alliance partner British Airways’ six-times-weekly direct Heathrow-Male service, which operates every day bar Thursdays.
BA’s Male flights depart Heathrow at 6.15pm on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays at 6.15pm, arriving Male at 9.40am+1.
Its Saturday flights depart Heathrow at 9.20pm, arriving Male at 12.45pm+1.
The announcement will come as another boost for the Maldives, and for the travel trade, after the destination in the Indian Ocean was added to the UK’s travel corridor list last month.
The island national was also granted WTTC Safe Travels accreditation in September.
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