MEGA Maldives Airlines was a Maldivian

airline An airline is a company that provides civil aviation, air transport services for traveling passengers or freight (cargo). Airlines use aircraft to supply these services and may form partnerships or Airline alliance, alliances with other airlines ...

based at Ibrahim Nasir International Airport. It suspended all operations on 2 May 2017.

History

Mega Maldives was awarded an AOC on 22 December 2010, and its first domestic flight was from

Malé Malé is the capital and most populous city of the Maldives. With a population of 211,908 in 2022 within its administrative area and coterminous geographical area of , Malé is one of the most densely populated cities in the world. The city i ...

Gan The word Gan or the initials GAN may refer to: Places * Gan, a component of Hebrew placenames literally meaning "garden" China * Gan River (Jiangxi) * Gan River (Inner Mongolia), * Gan County, in Jiangxi province * Gansu, abbreviated '' ...

on 28 December 2010. The airline began its international operations on 21 January 2011 between

Hong Kong Hong Kong)., Legally Hong Kong, China in international treaties and organizations. is a special administrative region of China. With 7.5 million residents in a territory, Hong Kong is the fourth most densely populated region in the wor ...

and

. The airline initially operated flights between

and

once every 5 days. Later, the route was changed to Hong Kong and Malé, but continued the unique every 5 day pattern. The airline also began scheduled service from Malé to Shanghai on 16 July and to Beijing 22 July 2011. Frequencies increased since 2011 and the airline operated 4 to 5 flights a week to each of Beijing, Shanghai, and Hong Kong depending on the season. The airline also served Chongqing, Chengdu, and Hangzhou, China as well as Incheon (Seoul), Korea, with seasonal services. The route from Hong Kong to Koror, Palau started in mid-December 2013 with twice-weekly frequencies. The airline also provided technical services to other airlines at Male' Ibrahim Nasser International Airport including AOG support. The airline could also provide ground handling supervision and permit management services to other foreign airlines as well. The corporate headquarters of MEGA Maldives Airlines was located in Male', Maldives. In September 2016, MEGA Maldives announced it would cut 65 of its 400 staff as well as postponing planned new routes until further notice due to the severely decreased Chinese leisure market.ch-aviation.com - China tourist market slump hits Mega Maldives hard
4 September 2016 In the same month, the airline introduced its first

Boeing 737-800 The Boeing 737 Next Generation, commonly abbreviated as 737NG, or 737 Next Gen, is a twinjet, twin-engine narrow-body aircraft produced by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. Launched in 1993 as the third-generation derivative of the Boeing 737, it ha ...

on wet-lease from Travel Service. The aircraft is part of its fleet modernization program and will be used for increased connectivity between short and medium ranged destinations, notably opening up new destinations in India and Sri Lanka. Mega Maldives suspended all remaining operations on 12 May 2017 stating restructuring measures. Beforehand, it already significantly reduced its network down to only two Chinese destinations.ch-aviation.com - Mega Maldives Airlines to suspend operations
1 May 2017

Destinations

Prior to the suspension of all operations, MEGA Maldives operated scheduled and charter flights to the following destinations:megamaldivesair.com - Route Map
retrieved 2 May 2017 ;Bangladesh *

Chittagong Chittagong ( ), officially Chattogram, (, ) (, or ) is the second-largest city in Bangladesh. Home to the Port of Chittagong, it is the busiest port in Bangladesh and the Bay of Bengal. The city is also the business capital of Bangladesh. It ...

Shah Amanat International Airport Shah Amanat International Airport () is an international airport serving Bangladesh's southeastern port city of Chattogram. Operated and maintained by the Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh, it is the second-largest international airpor ...

Dhaka Dhaka ( or ; , ), List of renamed places in Bangladesh, formerly known as Dacca, is the capital city, capital and list of cities and towns in Bangladesh, largest city of Bangladesh. It is one of the list of largest cities, largest and list o ...

Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport Dhaka (; ) is the main international airport serving Dhaka City, the capital city of Bangladesh, and it is the largest airport in the country. It is located in Kurmitola, from the city centre, in the ...

Sylhet Sylhet (; ) is a Metropolis, metropolitan city in the north eastern region of Bangladesh. It serves as the administrative center for both the Sylhet District and the Sylhet Division. The city is situated on the banks of the Surma River and, as o ...

- Osmani Airport ;Mauritius *

Port Louis Port Louis (, ; or , ) is the capital and most populous city of Mauritius, mainly located in the Port Louis District, with a small western part in the Black River District. Port Louis is the country's financial and political centre. It is admi ...

Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam International Airport Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam International Airport ( French: ''Aéroport International Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam'') is the primary international airport serving the island nation of Mauritius. It is located at Plaine Magnien, southeast of the c ...

;Sri Lanka *

Colombo Colombo, ( ; , ; , ), is the executive and judicial capital and largest city of Sri Lanka by population. The Colombo metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of 5.6 million, and 752,993 within the municipal limits. It is the ...

Bandaranaike International Airport Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) (commonly known as Colombo International Airport, Colombo–Bandaranaike International Airport, and locally as Katunayake International Airport) (IATA airport code, IATA: CMB, ICAO airport code, ICAO: VC ...

;Hong Kong SAR *

Hong Kong International Airport Hong Kong International Airport is an international airport on the island of Chek Lap Kok in western Hong Kong. The airport is also referred to as Chek Lap Kok International Airport or Chek Lap Kok Airport, to distinguish it from its predec ...

;India *

Delhi Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, but spread chiefly to the west, or beyond its Bank (geography ...

Indira Gandhi International Airport Indira Gandhi International Airport is the primary international airport serving New Delhi, the capital of India, and the National Capital Region (NCR). The airport, spread over an area of ,

Mumbai Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial capital and the most populous city proper of India with an estimated population of 12 ...

Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport is the international airport serving Mumbai, the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the second-busiest airport in India in terms of total and international passenger traffic a ...

;Japan *

Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

Narita International Airport , also known as Tokyo-Narita International Airport or simply Narita Airport, formerly and originally known as , is the secondary international airport serving the Greater Tokyo Area, the only other one being Haneda Airport (HND). It is about e ...

;South Korea *

Incheon Incheon is a city located in northwestern South Korea, bordering Seoul and Gyeonggi Province to the east. Inhabited since the Neolithic, Incheon was home to just 4,700 people when it became an international port in 1883. As of February 2020, ...

- Seoul-Incheon International Airport ;Saudi Arabia *

Dammam Dammam (Arabic: الدمام ad-Dammām) is a city and governorate, and the capital of the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia. Located on the coast of the Persian Gulf, it had a population of 1,386,166 as of 2022, making it the country's fifth- ...

King Fahd International Airport King Fahd International Airport (; KFIA) , also known as Dammam International Airport or simply Dammam Airport or King Fahd Airport, is the international airport serving Dammam, Saudi Arabia. The airport is located 31 kilometres (19 miles) north ...

Jeddah Jeddah ( ), alternatively transliterated as Jedda, Jiddah or Jidda ( ; , ), is a List of governorates of Saudi Arabia, governorate and the largest city in Mecca Province, Saudi Arabia, and the country's second largest city after Riyadh, located ...

King Abdulaziz International Airport King Abdulaziz International Airport (IATA airport code, IATA: JED, ICAO airport code, ICAO: OEJN, colloquially referred to as Jeddah Airport, Jeddah International Airport, or KAIA), is a major international airport serving the cities of Jedda ...

Medina Medina, officially al-Madinah al-Munawwarah (, ), also known as Taybah () and known in pre-Islamic times as Yathrib (), is the capital of Medina Province (Saudi Arabia), Medina Province in the Hejaz region of western Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, ...

Prince Mohammad bin Abdulaziz International Airport Prince Mohammad bin Abdulaziz International Airport () or Medina Airport is a regional airport in Medina, Saudi Arabia. Opened in 1950, it handles domestic flights, while it has scheduled international services to regional destinations such as ...

Riyadh Riyadh is the capital and largest city of Saudi Arabia. It is also the capital of the Riyadh Province and the centre of the Riyadh Governorate. Located on the eastern bank of Wadi Hanifa, the current form of the metropolis largely emerged in th ...

King Khalid International Airport King Khalid International Airport (; ) is an international airport located about north of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. This airport consists of five Airport terminal, passenger terminals with eight aero-bridges each, a mosque, and parking facilities ...

;Maldives *

–

Velana International Airport Velana International Airport (VIA), also known as Malé-Velana International Airport () is the main international airport in the Maldives. It is located on Hulhulé Island in the southern Malé Atoll (or Kaafu Atoll), nearby the capital island ...

base *

Addu Atoll Seenu Atoll, historically known as Addu Atoll, is the southernmost atoll of the Maldives. Addu Atoll, together with Fuvahmulah, located 40 km north of Addu Atoll, extend the Maldives into the Southern Hemisphere. Addu Atoll is located 540& ...

- Gan International Airport secondary base, charter ;Macau *

Macau Macau or Macao is a special administrative regions of China, special administrative region of the People's Republic of China (PRC). With a population of about people and a land area of , it is the most List of countries and dependencies by p ...

Taipa Taipa ( zh, t=氹仔, ; , ) is an area in Macau, connected to Coloane through the area known as Cotai, which is largely built from reclaimed land. Located on the northern half of the island, Taipa's population is mostly suburban. Administrativ ...

Macau International Airport Macau International Airport is an international airport in the special administrative region of Macau, situated at the eastern end of Taipa island and neighbouring waters. It opened for commercial operations on 9 November 1995, during Portu ...

;Malaysia *

Kuala Lumpur Kuala Lumpur (KL), officially the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur, is the capital city and a Federal Territories of Malaysia, federal territory of Malaysia. It is the largest city in the country, covering an area of with a census population ...

- Sepang -

Kuala Lumpur International Airport Kuala Lumpur International Airport is the main international airport serving Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia. It is located in the Sepang District of Selangor, approximately south of downtown Kuala Lumpur and serves the Greater Kuala L ...

;Oman *

Muscat Muscat (, ) is the capital and most populous city in Oman. It is the seat of the Governorate of Muscat. According to the National Centre for Statistics and Information (NCSI), the population of the Muscat Governorate in 2022 was 1.72 million. ...

Muscat International Airport Muscat International Airport , formerly Seeb International Airport, is the main international airport in Oman. It is located in Seeb, Oman, Seeb, from the old city and capital Muscat within the Muscat metropolitan area. The airport serves as th ...

;Palau *

Koror Koror is the state comprising the main commercial centre of the Republic of Palau. It consists of several islands, the most prominent being Koror Island (also ''Oreor Island''). It is Palau’s most populous state. History In the oral tradition of ...

- Airai - Roman Tmetuchl International Airport ;United Arab Emirates *

Abu Dhabi Abu Dhabi is the capital city of the United Arab Emirates. The city is the seat of the Abu Dhabi Central Capital District, the capital city of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, and the UAE's List of cities in the United Arab Emirates, second-most popu ...

- Abu Dhabi International Airport *

Dubai Dubai (Help:IPA/English, /duːˈbaɪ/ Help:Pronunciation respelling key, ''doo-BYE''; Modern Standard Arabic, Modern Standard Arabic: ; Emirati Arabic, Emirati Arabic: , Romanization of Arabic, romanized: Help:IPA/English, /diˈbej/) is the Lis ...

Dubai International Airport Dubai International Airport () is the primary international airport serving Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and is the world's busiest airport by international passenger traffic as of 2024. It is also the busiest airport in the Middle East as ...

;People's Republic of China *

Beijing Beijing, Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Peking, is the capital city of China. With more than 22 million residents, it is the world's List of national capitals by population, most populous national capital city as well as ...

–

Beijing Capital International Airport Beijing Capital International Airport is the busier of the two international airports serving Beijing, the capital city of China (the other one being Beijing Daxing International Airport). The airport is located northeast of downtown Beijing ...

Chengdu Chengdu; Sichuanese dialects, Sichuanese pronunciation: , Standard Chinese pronunciation: ; Chinese postal romanization, previously Romanization of Chinese, romanized as Chengtu. is the capital city of the Chinese province of Sichuan. With a ...

Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport (; traditionally as Chengdu Airport) is one of two international airports serving Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan province in Southwestern China, with the other being Chengdu Tianfu International Airpo ...

Chongqing ChongqingPostal Romanization, Previously romanized as Chungking ();. is a direct-administered municipality in Southwestern China. Chongqing is one of the four direct-administered municipalities under the State Council of the People's Republi ...

Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport is the main international airport serving the city of Chongqing in Southwestern China. It is located in Yubei, Chongqing, about north of the Chongqing urban center. The airport is a major aviation h ...

Hangzhou Hangzhou, , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ; formerly romanized as Hangchow is a sub-provincial city in East China and the capital of Zhejiang province. With a population of 13 million, the municipality comprises ten districts, two counti ...

–

Hangzhou Xiaoshan International Airport Hangzhou Xiaoshan International Airport is an international airport serving Hangzhou, a major city in the Yangtze River Delta region and the capital of East China’s Zhejiang province.

Shanghai Shanghai, Shanghainese: , Standard Chinese pronunciation: is a direct-administered municipality and the most populous urban area in China. The city is located on the Chinese shoreline on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the ...

–

Shanghai Pudong International Airport Shanghai Pudong International Airport is one of the two international airports serving Shanghai, China. Pudong Airport serves both international flights and a smaller number of domestic flights, while the city's other major airport, Shanghai ...

Zhengzhou Zhengzhou is the capital of Henan, China. Located in northern Henan, it is one of the nine National central city, national central cities in China, and serves as the political, economic, technological, and educational center of the province. Th ...

–

Zhengzhou Xinzheng International Airport Zhengzhou Xinzheng International Airport is an international airport serving Zhengzhou, the capital of South Central China’s Henan province. The airport is located in Xinzheng, southeast of downtown Zhengzhou. It was opened on 28 August ...

Changsha Changsha is the capital of Hunan, China. It is the 15th most populous city in China with a population of 10,513,100, the Central China#Cities with urban area over one million in population, third-most populous city in Central China, and the ...

– Changsha Huanghua International Airport * Xi’an –

Xi'an Xianyang International Airport Xi'an Xianyang International Airport is an international airport serving the city of Xi'an, the capital of Northwest China’s Shaanxi province, as well as the whole Guanzhong area. Covering an area of , Xi’an Airport has four terminals: T1 ...

historic Fleet

Prior to operational suspension. MEGA Maldives' fleet consisted of the following aircraft:

References

Citations

Bibliography

* * *

External links

* {{Airlines of Maldives Defunct airlines of the Maldives 21st-century disestablishments in the Maldives Airlines established in 2010 Airlines disestablished in 2017 2010 establishments in the Maldives 2017 disestablishments in Asia