Pakistan Maldives direct flights moved a step closer as the two countries agreed to work on direct flights between them, with the Maldivian national airline planning a Malé to Karachi service and Islamabad ordering a quick feasibility study for its own carriers.
No direct flight exists today
Anyone travelling between Pakistan and the Maldives today has to change planes in a third country. Both governments now say Pakistan Maldives direct flights should become a reality. The announcements came during the state visit of Maldivian President Mohamed Muizzu to Islamabad, the first visit by a Maldivian president to Pakistan in 11 years. The trip also marks 60 years of diplomatic relations between the two countries, which were established in 1966.
Speaking at the Pakistan-Maldives Business Forum on Thursday, President Muizzu announced that his country’s national airline, Maldivian, aims to start direct flights between Malé and Karachi soon. He said the service would make travel easier for people in both countries and open new chances for trade and tourism.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, speaking at the same forum, said he had instructed the civil aviation ministry to prepare a quick feasibility study for direct flights, whether through Pakistan International Airlines or any other Pakistani airline. The first flight, he said, should carry tourists and members of the business community to Malé. He also said he had ordered officials to immediately invite a Maldivian delegation for consultations, so that flights can begin as early as possible.
Pakistan Maldives direct flights: part of a much bigger package
The flight plan is one piece of a wide set of deals. On Wednesday, the two countries signed 20 agreements and memoranda of understanding at the Prime Minister’s House, covering areas such as health, higher education, defence, maritime security, finance, information technology and artificial intelligence, tourism, climate change and the fight against drug trafficking.
The economic target behind all this is ambitious. Both leaders agreed to raise bilateral trade from around 13 million dollars today to 200 million dollars within two years. Prime Minister Shehbaz admitted the current figure is far too low for two friendly countries, and promised that Pakistan would give special priority to putting the agreements into practice.
Ships matter as much as planes
Both leaders also stressed that planes alone will not be enough. Shehbaz said that without a reliable direct shipping schedule from Karachi or Gwadar to Malé, the two countries will struggle to meet their trade targets properly. A Pakistani delegation of business leaders, ministers and officials will travel to the Maldives within about a week to look for export and investment opportunities and to follow up on the understandings reached during the visit.
What happens next
The coming weeks will show how serious both sides are. The Maldivian delegation invited by the prime minister is expected in Islamabad for consultations on the flight plan. A Pakistani delegation of business leaders, ministers and officials will then travel to the Maldives within about a week to look for export and investment openings.
For travellers, the change would be simple but big. A direct Malé to Karachi flight would cut out the long stopovers in third countries that Pakistani tourists and Maldivian students and patients now face on every trip. Airlines still have to work out routes, timings and ticket prices, and no launch date has been announced yet.
Why it matters
Pakistan Maldives direct flights would cut travel time for Pakistani tourists heading to the Maldives, one of the world’s most popular holiday destinations, and for Maldivian visitors, students and patients coming to Pakistan. The real test, though, is follow-through. Feasibility studies and delegations are the easy part. Pakistanis will judge this plan by a simple measure: the day the first direct flight actually takes off.
