Beond Receives New A321 Aircraft, Adds 3 New Routes

Beond has achieved its next milestone with the successful delivery of its second aircraft.

The Malé-based start-up luxury leisure airline has confirmed it has received an Airbus A321.

“We are pleased to accept delivery of our second aircraft,” said Tero Taskila, CEO and Chair at Beond. “Our new customers in Milan, Dubai, and Bangkok will be impressed to see this stunning aircraft at their home airports, and they’ll be thrilled at the service from the start to finish of their journey.”

Here are the details.

Inside Beond’s New Airbus A321 Aircraft

There’s nothing much more exciting for an airline than receiving a new aircraft.

Beond’s newly acquired Airbus A321 will be retrofitted with a total of 68 seats. The new aircraft is equipped to the airline’s high brand standards already present with its Airbus A319, which used to fly for Eurowings.

To start with, the A321 will be deployed on 2 of Beond’s incumbent routes between Malé (MLE) and Munich (MUC), as well as Malé (MLE) and Riyadh (RUH) — the latter being the airline’s busiest route.

This second aircraft is just the start of the airline’s goal to be operating 32 aircraft by 2029.

“We are firmly on track to operate 32 luxurious aircraft with a private jet feel within the next five years, delivering on the promise of our ground-breaking business model in the airline industry and pioneering experience for passengers,” continued Taskila.

Beond’s New Routes

With a second aircraft in the mix, Beond will be able to add 3 more destinations to its network: Bangkok (DMK), Dubai-Al Maktoum (DWC), Milan (MXP).

Beond already touches in down in Al Maktoum, but only for refueling and servicing purposes.

Starting July 1, 2024, the airline’s new Airbus A321 will ferry passengers between DWC and Malé twice per week with the following schedule:

• Depart Dubai (DWC) 00:45 a.m. — Arrive Malé (MLE) 6 a.m.
• Depart Malé (MLE) 7:25 p.m. — Arrive Dubai (DWC) 10:30 p.m.

The second new route will be between Milan (MXP) and Malé (MLE), taking to the skies for the first time on July 3, 2024.

• Depart Malé (MLE) 1:15 p.m — Arrive Milan 10:10 p.m.
• Depart Milan (MXP) 11:10 p.m. — Arrive Malé (MLE) 1:15 p.m. (+1)

Tickets for the third new route to Bangkok’s Don Mueng haven’t gone on sale.

But to get an idea of costs, a round-trip from Milan to Malé in Beond’s lowest fare class starts at around $2,717. That’s around 30% cheaper compared to a 1-stop round-trip business class with an alternative carrier.

An added perk of flying Beond over one of the other carriers is that you don’t have to get off the plane during the small layover in Dubai. Flying with the likes of Emirates, Etihad, Gulf Air, or Qatar would mean changing planes.

Final Thoughts

The world’s newest luxury carrier with all-lie-flat seats has received its second aircraft, and it’s great news for its route network to the Maldives.

We’ll be keeping a close eye on Beond’s development and are waiting in anticipation of finding out its next destinations.