Video: From Sam Chui:
I hopped on TransMaldivian Airways Twin Otter seaplane flying around the Maldives with some of the best views! However, the sunny weather changed and I encountered some rough weather in paradise.
TransMaldivian is the world’s largest seaplane operator with 65 seaplanes from its base in Male, Maldives. Seaplane operation is crucial for tourism in the Maldives. I managed some plane spotting at the seaplane terminal before boarding my flight. The seaplane pilots in the Maldives wear shorts and sandals to fly and earned the nickname “barefoot pilot”
My flight was commanded by Captain Saif, who flew us to 3 resorts and back. We took off from the seaplane runway, flew over Male city, headed South and went as low as 500 feet for some beautiful sightseeing. Shortly before our landing at the first resort, the weather changed with rain showers in the area.
The turnaround time at each resort was just 5-10 minutes like a bus operation. Our next stop was the LUX resort where we were welcomed by a team of staff. The weather deteriorated rapidly so we have to quickly depart. The visibility was too low to land at our last stop. We had to divert to land in a lagoon and docked on a platform in the middle of the choppy sea. It was a very unexpected experience in paradise!
Maldivian Air Taxi & Trans Maldivian Airways
The beginnings of commercial aviation in the Maldives are to be undoubtedly attributed to Trans Maldivian Airways. TMA started in 1989 as a company operating a helicopter fleet under the name Hummingbird Island Helicopters. However the destination was struggling with infrastructure problems relating to the established helicopter air service, and the many resorts were still only reachable by boat, the idea of faster and more convenient travel was about to be floated. Traveling to Kuredu in 1991, Lars Erik Nielsen, recalls ‘The passengers were so sick on the voyage, I had to find a better way to travel!’ And he did. With his love of seaplanes and the much needed Scandinavian entrepreneurship, he started Maldivian Air Taxi in 1993.
From its humble beginnings in 1993 with only two aircraft, the company grew rapidly over the years where over 500,000 passengers were transferred per year. With the succession of seaplane operation in the country, Hummingbird Island Helicopters later changed the name to Hummingbird Island Airways, and the first seaplane was added to the fleet in 1997. The transition to a seaplane-only fleet was completed in 1999 and another year later, the name was changed to Trans Maldivian Airways. In February 2013 Maldivian Air Taxi (MAT) and Trans Maldivian Airways (TMA) partnered with Blackstone, one of the world’s leading investment and advisory firms under the name Trans Maldivian Airways (Pvt) Limited (TMA). In December 2017, the company was acquired by Bain Capital Private Equity, a global private equity firm headquartered out of the US, in association with Tempus Group, a Chinese tourism-focused conglomerate, from the current shareholders led by Blackstone.
Since its inception in 1989 Trans Maldivian Airways represents a synonym for connecting the Maldives islands. It is the oldest air services operator in the Maldives and has grown to become the largest seaplane operator in the world.
TMA aircraft photo gallery:
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- Source: https://worldairlinenews.com/2023/12/30/flying-in-the-maldives-with-trans-maldivian-airways/
