New all-business class airline Beond will launch next month with flights from Europe and the Middle East to the top honeymoon and resort destination, the Maldives.
The plan, unveiled at a recent press conference in Dubai, is for a “premium leisure airline” to cater to the surge in tourists flocking to the Indian Ocean archipelago post-pandemic. Dozens of new hotels are opening each year despite, or perhaps because of, predictions that the archipelago is under serious threat from rising sea levels due to climate change. As a result, there is a growing interest among people who want to visit this country as soon as possible.
The Maldives was recently ranked as the world's top bucket list destination by nationals of 121 countries in a survey by European travel company Kuoni, inspired by the postcard-perfect landscape of palm-fringed beaches. was selected.
The airline will begin operating twice-weekly flights from Munich, Zurich and Riyadh to the Maldives capital Male in the first half of November. The company plans to add Milan to its route map in 2024. Flights will take place on a single-aisle Airbus A319 aircraft with 44 lie-flat seats in a 2X2 layout. Flights from Europe refuel in Dubai. The airline plans to gradually add larger A321 jets with 68 seats. Ultimately, the company hopes to fly 32 aircraft to 60 destinations. (We are based in Male and Dubai.)
Fares start at about $3,000 round-trip, comparable to prices at France's La Compagnie, one of the few high-end luxury boutique lines to survive the industry's boom-bust cycles.
Beond CEO Tero Taskila said his airline could overcome challenges by offering something “unique and completely different” from other luxury routes that primarily cater to business travel. He said he was confident. Other major airlines also fly to the Maldives, but their flights often require connecting flights. Beond offers a variety of services including direct flights and limousine airport transfers.
In a statement, the company emphasized that travel advisors are critical to its success, saying that revenue “is driven by premium travel agency sales,” supplemented by direct-to-consumer promotions. Stated.
