Holidaymakers keen to travel to the Maldives from the UAE will soon have another way to get there.
Low-cost airline flydubai will be launching flights to Gan International Airport in the southern tip of the Indian Ocean archipelago, starting in February.
The budget carrier will operate a daily flight to the second biggest international airport in the Maldives from February 4, making it the first UAE airline to operate to Gan, a former British Royal Air Force base.
Perfectly located for travellers flying to the Southern Atolls, the airport lies in proximity to several resorts including the Equator Village, Canareef Resort Maldives and the on-the-market Shangri-La's Villingili Resort & Spa, Maldives.
Together with existing flights to Velana International Airport in Male, flydubai will operate 28 services a week between Dubai and the Maldives from February.
“The start of our daily flights to the southern island of Gan will give our passengers more options to travel to the beautiful Maldives. This new service will reduce the commute time whether by boat or seaplane for those staying in resorts in the Southern Atolls,” said Ghaith Al Ghaith, chief executive at flydubai.
“The Maldives continues to be one of the most popular leisure destinations for our customers from the UAE, GCC and CIS. The additional frequency to the market will further support connecting traffic from Europe as well.”
Gan flights leave Dubai just after 9am, arriving in the Maldives at 4pm on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. On every other day of the week, the flight leaves Dubai at 2.30am, with travellers landing in the Addu Atoll just after 9am.
Despite flydubai’s reputation as a low-cost airline, economy fares on the route start from Dh4,050 ($1,102), and business class fares will set travellers back Dh7,400. That’s substantially higher than Wizz Air Abu Dhabi’s recently launched Maldives flights to Velana, where basic one-way fares start from Dh319.
But for travellers staying in southern destinations, flying into Gan could reduce resort transfer fees as nearby islands are reachable via a short speed boat ride instead of seaplane transfer, if coming from Male.
From a coral runway to the Maldives' second-busiest airport
First built by the British Royal Navy, Gan International Airport originally operated with a coral runway and welcomed its first aircraft — a Royal Air Force Westland Walrus — almost 80 years ago.
The hub was transferred to the Royal Air Force and a permanent runway was added. It was used as a staging post for aircraft on their way to Singapore and other East Asian destinations.
In 1976, the British handed the airport over to the Maldivian government and it began its new tenure as a domestic airport, before being upgraded to support international flights.
Citizenship-by-investment programmes
United Kingdom
The UK offers three programmes for residency. The UK Overseas Business Representative Visa lets you open an overseas branch office of your existing company in the country at no extra investment. For the UK Tier 1 Innovator Visa, you are required to invest £50,000 (Dh238,000) into a business. You can also get a UK Tier 1 Investor Visa if you invest £2 million, £5m or £10m (the higher the investment, the sooner you obtain your permanent residency).
All UK residency visas get approved in 90 to 120 days and are valid for 3 years. After 3 years, the applicant can apply for extension of another 2 years. Once they have lived in the UK for a minimum of 6 months every year, they are eligible to apply for permanent residency (called Indefinite Leave to Remain). After one year of ILR, the applicant can apply for UK passport.
The Caribbean
Depending on the country, the investment amount starts from $100,000 (Dh367,250) and can go up to $400,000 in real estate. From the date of purchase, it will take between four to five months to receive a passport.
Portugal
The investment amount ranges from €350,000 to €500,000 (Dh1.5m to Dh2.16m) in real estate. From the date of purchase, it will take a maximum of six months to receive a Golden Visa. Applicants can apply for permanent residency after five years and Portuguese citizenship after six years.
“Among European countries with residency programmes, Portugal has been the most popular because it offers the most cost-effective programme to eventually acquire citizenship of the European Union without ever residing in Portugal,” states Veronica Cotdemiey of Citizenship Invest.
Greece
The real estate investment threshold to acquire residency for Greece is €250,000, making it the cheapest real estate residency visa scheme in Europe. You can apply for residency in four months and citizenship after seven years.
Spain
The real estate investment threshold to acquire residency for Spain is €500,000. You can apply for permanent residency after five years and citizenship after 10 years. It is not necessary to live in Spain to retain and renew the residency visa permit.
Cyprus
Cyprus offers the quickest route to citizenship of a European country in only six months. An investment of €2m in real estate is required, making it the highest priced programme in Europe.
Malta
The Malta citizenship by investment programme is lengthy and investors are required to contribute sums as donations to the Maltese government. The applicant must either contribute at least €650,000 to the National Development & Social Fund. Spouses and children are required to contribute €25,000; unmarried children between 18 and 25 and dependent parents must contribute €50,000 each.
The second step is to make an investment in property of at least €350,000 or enter a property rental contract for at least €16,000 per annum for five years. The third step is to invest at least €150,000 in bonds or shares approved by the Maltese government to be kept for at least five years.
Candidates must commit to a minimum physical presence in Malta before citizenship is granted. While you get residency in two months, you can apply for citizenship after a year.
Egypt
A one-year residency permit can be bought if you purchase property in Egypt worth $100,000. A three-year residency is available for those who invest $200,000 in property, and five years for those who purchase property worth $400,000.
Source: Citizenship Invest and Aqua Properties
